Do true audiophiles own Mcintosh gear

I think Mc intosh is fine gear. I even own a mint Mr-78 tuner though I never really use it. I just think their turntable looks ridiculous. Meters on a TT. Please.

Taters, you might want to take a closer look at the "meter" (singular) on the MT-10. You'll discover it isn't.

Don't get me wrong; if you don't like what it looks like, that's why there are all those other manufacturers out there.

The bottom line is Mc intosh doesn't even build their own TT. I believe clear audio makes it for them. It's made for the guy that wants it to match his other Mc gear. Call it what you will, but that is a fashion statement in my book.

03-22-15: Taters
I think Mc intosh is fine gear. I even own a mint Mr-78 tuner though I never really use it. I just think their turntable looks ridiculous. Meters on a TT. Please.

I figured that! They own it, but don't use it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and badge engineering or private labeling are time-honored ways to offer a branded product that fills a gap in the overall line. Virtually all producers of all product classes use them. Some people prefer Lexus to Toyota, Tudor to Rolex, Goodyear to Dunlop and so on. It would be a very boring world otherwise.

I personally fail to see how cosmetics can have an effect on objective performance. It reminds me of 25+ years ago when Ferrari was at the back of the F1 grid and switched to gold-colored wheels for the new season. A friend commented that it made the cars sound faster. Maybe they sounded faster and maybe they didn't, but those wheels sure got the attention Ferrari wanted. Apropos in this case, too.

FWIW, I don't happen to care for the looks of Mc tables. Triangle Art or VPI for that matter, either. I'm confident, however, their performance is totally acceptable. Does that make any of those brands, or any other for that matter, an acceptable value proposition? Welcome to a free market!