Sid42, I'm of the opinion that the current perceived value of several brands (McIntosh, classic Marantz, Accuphase, etc) can be attributed to the e-auction site, but for several reasons:
Dual pricing: I often see the same piece of equipment listed on eprey, A'gon, USAM, and my local Craigslist. The ebay price is often several hundred dollars higher than the listings placed elsewhere. It's the worst place to look for "a deal". Sellers realize the larger audience may be less knowledgeable and willing to pay more for the same listing that can sit here for months.
Clueless sellers: "Found at an estate sale, plugged in, lights up, no returns". These mouth-breathing, bottom feeders have no clue what they're selling, and only base their price by "watching" current and past sales which were also sold for over market value. The cycle continues...
Audiogon does a decent job of weeding out the gear flippers who are only in it to make a quick buck, because buyers here are generally more informed, and know what something is actually worth. But, there are those who continue to base their asking price on ebay listings. That stuff usually sits a while.
World audience: If you wanted to unload a piece of equipment in the past, you traded up at your dealer, went to a swap meet, or listed it in the classifieds. When your potential audience is anyone with an internet connection (including a passionate Asian collector and audiophile market), you'll increase your chances of hooking a bigger fish with a ridiculous asking price.
Beyond the auction site reasons, you have to consider McIntosh's history.
Brand cache: Like it or not, McIntosh has become synonymous with build and sound quality for people within and on the fringe of this hobby no matter how much the brand gets crapped on here on Audiogon. The dentist without the time to build a 1,000+ forum post count, may automatically think McIntosh is a safe path to great sound. Lucky for this person, there are few turds in Mac's entire product line which has built a solid reputation for quality over decades.
Ownership experience: There is a "certain something" about McIntosh gear that despite printed specs, a brand like Devialet may never achieve. This is not meant to slight their products, which admittedly, I've never heard. But, people are less likely to geek out over that shiny mirror sitting on your console. The older Mc gear has a classic Porsche 911 quality to it. Sure, there are better sports cars that will not try to actively kill you on every decreasing radius turn, but have you seen where the pricing on these has headed? McIntosh is a safe bet on the used market because if you want to unload it, you're not going to take a huge loss...hell you may even make a little money, because as the saying goes..."they don't build them like that anymore".
