Why do no audio enthusiasts use McIntosh?

Hey everyone has an opinion...so here is mine...being in the car business for the last 15 yrs and having sold and driven everything from A to Z..I mean just about every brand,from Kia,Daewoo to Ferrari,Lotus and Porsche etc....I personally wouldn't compare Mac to Cadillac or Mercedes....my comparison is to Ferrari...and here's why.

I have driven and sold 5 Ferraris (different models) and they all have that certain "something" that makes you want to get in and drive,even go out of your way to get somewhere.....they are not the fastest,or quickest and probably not the overall best handling....but when Ferrari puts a car together...it is "all there" and just sooooo right. To me Mac is on the same plane...maybe not most detailed,or "best bass" etc.....but listening to music thru my mac gear,makes me want to listen to...well more music.....and to me that is what it is all about.

Yes I like the looks and build quality, but the sound is most important,and I have other gear which I also like

"03-19-07: Jc51373
Trying to make a McIntosh analogous to a Mercedes is actually an excellent way to describe what I think of McIntosh, if you need to know. It's an over-priced status symbol, ruined by a conglomerate. I have now heard the McIntosh in three separate systems, including my own, and in all of them I got the same feeling from it."

No, I disagree. McIntosh is more like Cadillac. Mercedes automobiles are worth every penny, but Cadillac? Hardly!

Hey guys, listen...Lets not get huffy, my opinions (albeit over the internet and not communicated completely) are not intended to try and upset anyone...They were formed through listening, and therefore I consider them fact-based opnions, first-hand opinions.

To me comparing these amps to a Ferrari is even more inaccurate. Ferrari's are nice don't get me wrong, but they are mainly eye-candy, unreliable, high-maintenance, not mass produced, and very expensive. I have also driven in them, and find them to be incredibly impractical too. Not to mention, Mac Amps, are practical, and are admittedly slower amps. I might compare Shindo, Goldmund, or Nagra to a Ferrari if I were going to make that analogy.

I do however like the Cadillac analogy much better than the Mercedes or Ferrari. I have listened, and I gave it a fair shake in different systems, and each time it was the same for me, unemotional, uninvolving, dry, etched. Doesn't mean that some may not prefer this sound, to each his own. I think it is important either way to be able to voice your opinion intelligently, and constructively, for the benefit of those searching these forums to evaluate. This is not bashing, and if you feel it is, so be it.

I personally love buying equipment, if possible, from smaller independently owned manufacturers. They are usually more passionate about what they do, which typically results in a better product. Although Levinson might be the exception, their stuff sounds great, but service has suffered since HSG took the helm. MnIntosh is owned by who? Denon? Marantz? I would however have less of a problem with that if the stuff sounded as good as Krell or ML, but it doesn't and too often it is compared to it, which is not accurate. Collectively, these things are to be considered when looking at McIntosh.

Jc - it looks like your trolling now - I say to each his own it's your money but if you've been a member very long you know some advice and opinions are helpful and others are crap. Usually when descriptives are on the extreme side, well that sometimes points to exaggeration. I think that's what gets people's dander up because sometimes it's exactly opposite to what they hear. You went to the trouble to lug a 100lb amp home to audition, it didn't work for you - it is what it is. Good thing you didn't buy first!

Some hobbiest enjoy brand bashing, goodness knows Krell and MIT have to be the all time favorites on this site, not saying your bashing Mcintosh like I said some of your descriptions were on the extreme side. I personally have never heard a Krell that worked for me or B&W but tastes change, mine might as well. To each his own....it's your money!

Hello, no offense taken, but I have sold over 3,000 cars and drove and serviced them all, the reason my ferrari analogy was, well Ferrari is a very misunderstood car by most people, they think they are "tempermental',"expensive to repair and mucho high maintenance....nothing is further from the truth...Ferraris are extremely well built and well engineered....and serviced at the proper intervals are very easy to live with.....the whole point of a sports car is tohave fun driving it....i.e. does it put a smile on your face...to me Ferrari does it every time....same with Mac....hence my analogy. Just because a manufacturer is big or small has no merit with me....it is their product and value in the marketplace that counts....and Mac being in the home audio business for so long one might say they have it down......meaning they can build a hi end amp more efficiently than the competition, thus bringing to market an amp that a lesser company simply can't do...as in the MC 275...tough to beat at that price.....anyway an interesting point, of ALL the cars that I have sold and serviced....the 5 Ferraris needed just about the least amount of attention...who knew.