Mcintosh amplifiers and preamps

Mac gear seems to enjoys a "Rolls Royce" type of mystique. Whether merited on a performance basis is subjective, but it sure holds value, and is certainly a name recognized for quality even by most regular non-audio people. I do like the way it looks, but don’t think I could ever justify the cost.

macintosh is one of the oldest most respected names in the history of hifi, the name was built through good sound good quality good aesthetics, for many baby boomers it brings back fond memories and good feelings as they grew up lusting after the brand, the look, what having a macintosh meant

modern day macintosh is simply building on that reputation and brand image, in light of the world having an ever more wealthy top tier, they are taking advantage, as any good capitalist would (not a value judgement, just a reality)

as such, this like some other brands are hifi gear and overt luxury lifestyle gear at the same time... audio jewelry in a way... once again, not good or bad, just is what it is

McIntosh C36, C2200 and MC7300. Original owner. Listened to every day. Could there be better, of course, but it is very satisfying for me.

Good quality tube components but SS gear lacks soul! 

For over 40 years I was on the audio merry-go-round buying and selling for the next one hit wonder and losing money in the long run. Like many here, I felt Mac was for doctors and lawyers who did not know anything about audio but liked expensive and pretty electronics. Boy was I wrong. It started for me when I bought a used Mac Integrated amp from Audio Classics to replace the Parasound Halo integrated I was using. 2 weeks later, I bought a Mac SACD player and tuner. This was all in my office system.

Three months later, I was totally thrilled with my Mac purchases and thought “why not redo my main system as well.” So, I contacted Audio Classics again and bought a Mac tube preamp, a 300wpc Mac power amp and their newest top of the line tuner. This all happened between September 2017 and March 2018. Both my systems sound incredible and I am finally wanting no more. There is a rightness to the McIntosh sound that really gets my toes tapping. I wish I had bought into the brand many years earlier as it would have saved me money over the long run.A big plus is that the equipment I bought sells for much more now than what I paid for it. I LOVE McIntosh!