I have seen some Interesting comments about Mcintosh lately

I can't believe some of these people on this thread, just because they either can't afford something or they don't like something, they put simething down like its a piece of s$@t. A Rolex is worth much more than a seiko or citizen, just because you can't afford it, too bad. You sound like a guy that says a seiko or citizen is a piece of junk because he has a timex, why would you pay more!

also I'm surprised you aren't putting down people who own Porsche's or Bugatti's, because a corolla can get you from a to b just as easy, so why spend the money for anything else? Porsche's will be in the shop more, much more expensive to maintain, but it is worth every penny compared to any Toyota.

As a current McIntosh owner in my late 20s, I have found the RIGHT pieces in the RIGHT combination to be one of the better values out there.  Scoff if you like, but I am a fan.  As so many have said, if it works for you, great - if you can't see the appeal, that's fine too.

One thing I'll say - my wife is constantly ribbing me (half-seriously, by the way) that "there's really no difference between all of my 'stereo boxes' and the sound out of our computer speakers.. it's just LOUDER."  The first time she walked into the room after I unboxed and hooked up my MA7000 Mc integrated, she looked, paused, and said, "well, it sure is pretty," before just as quickly leaving the room.

I count that as a win.  Even if it is visual approval from my wife - that has to say something, haha!

Regardless, some of the pricing has gotten ridiculous.  I was excited to see the introduction of the MB50, a streaming music player with balanced outputs and all.  As a 'millennial' I am interested in getting into lossless streaming, etc.  How better to do so than with McIntosh?  But after seeing that this 8" wide box with two antennas on the back, weighing in at 10 lbs or so will retail for about $5,000.. are you kidding me?

Let's not alienate the next generation of enthusiasts (me) with 1000% markups.  For now, if I want to venture into streaming, I'll buy a Sonos unit and a halfway decent external DAC.

I agree with your next to last sentence, NCKempfert, only the very well-heeled will be buying new Mac's in the future. Their pricing is getting out of hand for guys like me who are retired. The used market is all that holds any future for me. Look at their turntable as an example of ridiculous pricing, along with most of their other gear. I still love their amps & preamps, the looks, the re-sale value, and sound, but the pricing is another matter.

sid42, Mac re-sale value IS one small consolation, no doubt.  And I think the inflation of their factory price list will help this trend to continue, as more and more seek used gear.

Great when I want to sell, frustrating as a bargain-seeker!

The reputation of McIntosh and B&W has extended to many Asian countries such as China, India and Vietnam. There are plenty of buyers who are willing to pay any price to own a McIntosh B&W system. In the future, US buyers will see even more "ridiculous" price increase for these two brand names.
A canon 80mmm f/1.8 costs $370 while a f/1.2L is $2000. People always says the 1.2L is better but not 5 times better. It's not about many times better or how much an L lens should cost. It's about how many people are willing to pay the extra. You consider the McIntosh MC275 a piece of art and try to save dollar by dollar until you have enough money to buy it. It is not the case for many guys in China or India. for them, it just a matter of writing a check!
The manager at a local store was nice enough to set up a multi processor system using 7.1.4 Focal Electra speakers to compare among Integra 80.6, Marantz 8802A, Onkyo PR-SC5530 and McIntosh MX160. It took me virtually no time to figure it out which processor I needed.
Buy what you bank account allows and love what you have. Don't compare because you'll never know the true answer.