An Audio Amateur's question about McIntosh Audio

goodlistening64

... McIntosh strikes many old men with awe ...

I've seen people who've been awestruck - in museums and art galleries, in local music clubs, or watching a talented close-up magician on a street corner. But I've never seen an audiophile look at Mac with awe. Perhaps you have, though.

... the company went through their worst years (the 80’s) because of the Japanese audio invasion - making Sony, Pioneer and Panasonic global household names ...

The Japanese audio "invasion" began in the '60s. Many of those companies are gone or shadows of their former selves. Mac is still here.

the US was in a recession and McIntosh buyers were blowing their excess money up their noses.

You have a fanciful imagination.

@cleeds 

I've seen people who've been awestruck - in museums and art galleries, in local music clubs, or watching a talented close-up magician on a street corner.

Tell us more about yourself and your interactions with awe. Baited breath, brother.

The Japanese audio "invasion" began in the '60s.

Disclosure: AI GENERATED DATA (GEMINI):

The "Japanese audio invasion" refers to the dramatic market shift in the late 1970s and 1980s when Japanese electronics manufacturers ran roughshod over Western consumer electronics, establishing global dominance in both mainstream and high-fidelity audio gear.

This period fundamentally altered the landscape of the audio industry through a combination of manufacturing innovation, technological shifts, and economic pressure.

You have a fanciful imagination.

AI GENERATED DATA (GEMINI):

During the 1980s, Americans spent an estimated \(\$30 \text{ billion to } \$90 \text{ billion annually}\) on cocaine, with the national total reaching into the hundreds of billions by the end of the decade.

Because the market was booming, the price per gram and overall spending varied drastically over the decade as supply chains exploded. This led to a number of untold audio enthusiasts to trade in valuable gear for an 8-ball.

Ha-ha. I'm not going to waste my time arguing with AI.

goodlistening64

Because the market was booming, the price per gram and overall spending varied drastically over the decade as supply chains exploded. This led to a number of untold audio enthusiasts to trade in valuable gear for an 8-ball.

You have a very fanciful imagination. That's actually a quite useful thing, if you know how to use it.

I like the looks of McIntosh gear and their vintage stuff is okay sounding to me (nothing special, but decent).  It is highly collectible so one will not lose money on a purchase.  A 19-year old young man I know is in the business of repairing and refurbish audio gear.  He has done many McIntosh pieces.  He has been finding vintage tube gear for two systems he is building for his father--one a home system, another for his office.  The home system is a McIntosh system.  The young man is a fan of "booster" amp systems that are more common in Japan.  That involves a preamp feeding an intermediate "booster" amp (amp with a 600 ohm output transformer) feeding a power amp.  For his father's system, he utilized the 600 ohm tap off the output transformer of MC 40 amps to feed MC 30 amps.  He said that his father acknowledges that the MC 30 does not sound as good as even an Eico HF 87 (one of the many amps the young man owns), but he wants a McIntosh system anyway.  The Marantz system is almost complete,  but, the amps of choice-- Model 9's--still need to be acquired; those are very pricey.

Perhaps a good way to phrase it, as opposed to casting them in a highly derogatory light. McIntosh has a very strong midrange and bass, are built like tanks, look cool, have a tremendous reputation for reliability, customer service, resale value and are astonishingly better sounding than most consumer brands. However, they lack detail and tonal balance normally associated high end products.