Curiousity killed.....

And for what it is worth... McIntosh is now owned by a Japanese company :^) (albeit one where the majority shareholder is a Belgium-listed private-equity fund run by an American group (and the 2nd largest shareholder is Dutch)) :^).

Satisfaction brought... ( to end your title quote ).

Because that is what each company feels is best for them.

Very interesting Tbone...yes,Onemug,your second sentence holds the obvious answer,though I think a call to McIntosh might provide some more illumination on some specifics I was searching for....now to find a Japanese interptreter....thanks men....

mac and bryton at least should be around to honor their warranty. hi end companies are dropping like flies.

As far as I know, just the ownership of McIntosh changed when it was purchased by D&M Holdings; management policy would not have changed; and if it ever comes to actually wanting to contact the McIntosh parent, D&M Holdings (stands for "Denon & Marantz"), at least a few members of top management at D&M speak excellent English). The parent company's website is here.