An Audio Amateur's question about McIntosh Audio
I casually follow and read many of the mainstream audio gear magazines and YouTube reviewers. Most of them will publish annual lists of their top or favorite devices of the year, decade etc., and through them I am able to learn about high-end distinguished brands and their products.
On the other hand I have also noted from discussions among other audiophiles that equipment from McIntosh is of very high quality.
What I have noticed, however, is that I don't see any of the magazines or professional/semi-pro reviewers include a McIntosh product in their top recommended lists.
Why does this dichotomy exist? If McIntosh is so good why don't their products make it into top XYZ lsts?
I am a newbie and I might be missing something obvious. But I'd appreciate some education here.
Thanks,
Amit
McIntosh components are spec'd very conservatively by the manufacturer and when they receive an appropriate independent test bench review they more than exceed their rated specifications and very consistently. Though others will argue that specs don't tell the whole story, less scrupulous manufacturers routinely publish erroneous specs as a marketing ploy. |
I love the look at McIntosh, but the Sonics don’t rise above box store offerings to compete with many other high-end audio choices. The sound is underwhelming. I suspect the masses view McIntosh as an upscale luxury product, and most/all who purchase have very limited exposure to demoing other high-end offerings. I’m a bucket list audiophile who began my journey about 10yrs ago. My strategy was to listen to the very best high-end audio has to offer, then try to replicate the sound within budget. So I demoed at many audio stores and audio shows like AXPONA where I purchased the demo speakers. Although McIntosh may sound great amongst box store competition, it doesn’t sound competitive in both price and sound to modern high-end audio alternatives |
@chrisoshea I thought bass was a fish. |
