I have seen some Interesting comments about Mcintosh lately

wolf_garcia - I agree in general, but, that said, I just replaced a 5AR4 (Mullard) after only 8 months in my pre-amp. I now have a backup, just in case.

Legumes are actually a very small group of tubers as they are not tubers at all, but peanuts themselves are a large group if each individual peanut is counted. I hope this clears up that issue. Also, tubes blow of course (had one in my hifi amp commit "tubicide" right in front of me…amp survived)…but more frighteningly I endured a SS amp blowing after a show killing an entire pile of pro bass speakers...I continue to be traumatized by that painful experience…and that was in 1978….*sniff*...

@philkoan The next time you think about buying something hi-end at Mac prices, I urge you to consider Bryston gear, new or used.  Everything Bryston sells comes with a 20 year transferable warranty.  I once purchased an 18 year old Bryston .5B preamp that developed a problem in one channel.  I shipped it off to Bryston's authorized service center on the other side of the country from me.  Three weeks later it was returned to me, in a factory carton, at no charge.  Not even shipping.

I think anyone who purchases an old Mac tube amp will likely be happy with the way it sounds and will get a good resale on it should they choose to part with it.  But I wouldn't touch anything Mac otherwise.  Sorry to hear about your bad experience.

Funny comparing the accuracy of Rolex to Seiko. Expensive mechanical watches are not about ultimate accuracy. If it was, any old $69.95 Timex will do. A typical $10,000 mechanical watch will get as accurate as +- 4 seconds per day (if you are lucky) versus a couple of seconds per MONTH on let's say an entry level sub 1k TAG. Expensive mechanical watches are about craftsmanship and pride of ownership, which does not always mean snobby.

McIntosh? Simple. The Harley Davidson of Audio. Not the fastest, not the most confortable, and far from the most reliable, or up to date with technology, and for some, retro outdated looks on the cheesy side.

But nevertheless an icon of american history that keeps its value pretty well.

McIntosh, Harley, take your pick!

One makes noise, the other music, and depending on the machine, you might wonder which one makes which ;)

I work construction and as the old saying goes, " you know you've arrived when they are writing about you on the sh*thouse wall!"   Just saying....