Disappointing On Mcintosh......help


 3 Months ago  I went to NYC and stopped by the WOM  and auditioned several MCintosh gear...........and left a bit disappointed or not impressed...then I told myself   " lets give a second shot"  and went today to a  HIFI store and again Good room accoustics10K speakers , MC Preamp , MC Amplifier........ and again  the same disappointment I felt 3 month earlier.

Is that the "warm" sound people reffer to about Mcintosh?  
The sound is ample, base is powerfull  but the the sound is simply  not to clear, the hights are not too "crisp"  It sounds like the treble is set at 3 and needs to be adjusted at 9 or 10.
It seems like  the sound is  coming through a thin layer of paper ...that is the way I describe that sound.  

Then 20 minutes later I auditioned a Parasound A21+ and a JC5 and the sound was more clear and the highs were crispier

Whats your take on my experience?  or That is the MC "warm sound? 
128x128cydrone

Showing 3 responses by fundsgon

Recently auditioned Mcintosh, Bryston, Simaudio, PrimaLuna amps mated to Sonus Faber, Fyne Audion, audiovector, Kef, dynaudio. At this point the Mac/Sonus pairing is the winning combo, to my ears, with my music. Musical, sweet, huge soundstage, detailed, foundation cracking bass. 
Stereo5 
right on the money. I’ve never auditioned a Mac before now, and what a revelation. They have detail without being clinical, I can play music load without my ears trying to close up on themselves. My ears don’t cringe, yet the detail is there with no brightness. Soft acoustic music is presented sweetly and with finesse, no hard edge or hash.

Just listened again to a Mac 462 connected to a pair of Sonus fabers. In a post above someone mentioned to be aware of cables, and I second that. We tried 3 different speaker cables and the worst pair caused the combination to sound muted, the Nordost Frey 2 brought everything up a notch or 10. Detailed, musical, nothing dry or clinical. Perfect for our ears. We liked the combo so much we bought them.