Best Kept Secret in Audio??

Yes and No. Mac does offer phono stage, but mediocre at best. For the price, used of 3500 is worth the shot, only with assertive front end. Little vailed in comparison with Lamm or even Sugden Masterclass at half a price.

Your experience with McIntosh is not unique. I own the McIntosh 2102 (tube) amp and it beats out just about anything else, even at a much higher cost.

there are McIntosh products that can't compete but those that can, win.

SShh !!(or it ain't a secret) --- For us working stiffs, it's hard to have heard 1% of what's out there.

Given the title, I thought the thread would involve something besides McIntosh ...

my late 60's-70's vintage transitor radio with a single ear 'headphone' How many of you slept with yours under your pillow?

David99,

I used to fall asleep listening to Clyde Clifford on Bleeker Street from KAAY in Little Rock transmitting all the way up to Iowa. (I hope I remembered all that correctly, it's been 35-36 years ago.) Forgot about that until you said something....

yes it is i have have a C100 which the same product with a different display. i have tested the C100 vs some of the best such as levinson 380s and 32, krell kct, rowland synergy and coherence, threshold t1, arc sp11 and sp14, batvk50,and the classe omaga. the C100 out did all of these and i can't understand why mcintosh has nerer have this or the C200 reviewed . as for the phone stage it built in ans is far better than any other phonestage mcintosh has ever done . it might be up in the same class as the lamm ref. but it is very good and the mcintosh C200cost only 6500 and the lamm phone alone is 8000 .so in total the C100 and C200 maybe the best preamps around.