Recent equipment you hated, thought overpriced

Mpingo discs get pinged a lot, too. Which is really quite funny considering what even one will do in just the right place.

Mapman, you sound like you have a lot of experience with exotic tweaks that don't work. I trust you got your money back. :-)

McIntosh MAC6700 Receiver ...

Purchased back in April of this year in a futile attempt to lessen the equipment collection. $6500 full retail. 

Handsome, heavy thing indeed. 

Not long afterward I couldn't find the expected magic for some reason, there was something imposing itself on the sound.  There was absolutely NOTHING wrong with the unit, it was simply the voicing of the amp that I found...not to my preferences. 

I traded it in for the new MC275 Mark VI tube amp and couldn't be happier.  

Oh,  almost forgot...whenever I begin to believe I may need new connects or speaker wires I whip out a box of Q-Tips.  Doesn't work all of the time but it's a decent and inexpensive method of thinking again before I spend!

oblgny, I know in the 70's the Mac receivers never came close to the sound put out by the Mac integrated amps or separate components.  Maybe some things never change.