Is Mcintosh The Best ?

[comeup]

Hello all,


I want to know do you guys think Mc amp/pre receivers are the best on the market. Every time I go to a shop that sells Mc the sales person says you can't get anything better. I must admit I do like the sound, but the best that's pushing it a bit. I think having a Mc is like owning a Harley Davison its made in the U.S. you get lots of attention and it has great resale value but the best I don't think so. What do you think?


PS. Mc owners don't get offended its the sales people I don't like.

[Nick M]

It's all opinion. Certainly it's of the highest caliber, but there are other fantastic companies as well. I happen to enjoy the sound of Class A Krell amplifiers that also have huge reserves of power relative to what I'm trying to drive. Others would argue that only tube based amplifiers can achieve the level of excellence they are searching for.

Buy what sounds best to you, not others... :T

[deke]

Is McIntosh american made? It's owned by the same company that owns Marantz, Denon, and Snell.

[Jesse111]

Can't say if it's the best for anyone else. But it is the best for me against everything else I've ever owned. MCD/MDA1000 + 501 mono's + 800D's are a combination you have to hear to believe.

Get more "biased" feedback here if you like...

http://audiokarma.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=54

[comeup]

Is McIntosh american made? It's owned by the same company that owns Marantz, Denon, and Snell.

It's American as well as

B&K COMPONENTS

VELODYNE

NHT

INFINITY

MARTIN LOGAN

ADCOM

POLK AUDIO


and yes (Monster Power) the most hated

[comeup]

Can't say if it's the best for anyone else. But it is the best for me against everything else I've ever owned. MCD/MDA1000 + 501 mono's + 800D's are a combination you have to hear to believe.

Get more "biased" feedback here if you like...

http://audiokarma.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=54

Jesse111,

I don't know your financial situation, but if you could afford to buy what ever you wanted would it be Mcintosh?

[Kevin D]

It's American as well as

POLK AUDIO

and yes (Monster Power) the most hated

American company, not American made. From the Polk website:

Moving Manufacturing to Mexico

In 1995 Polk announced that it would be moving most of its manufacturing operations to Tijuana, leaving only the assembly of its high-end speakers in Baltimore. Until this time, the company's products had been assembled there from components largely made in Mexico.

[comeup]

American company, not American made. From the Polk website:

SAD,SAD and SAD

[RobP]

Blake,
Any dealer will tell you that their bread and butter brand is the best out there. When you get up in the higher end equipment there are alot of great companies, Mac is just one. You also have Classe (which is my pick), Mark Levinson, Krell, VTL etc.., The best thing that you can do is to trust your ears.

[DL86]

I would also look at Halcro or simaudio. You can't go past without comparing this http://stereophile.com/solidpoweramps/806halcro/

[comeup]

Soundgravy,

I know your right it just seems that McIntosh sellers tend to do it a lot more than others. When I visit other high end shops other than Mc shops they aren't as arrogant as the Mc sellers. I''m usally told let your ears decide. The sad thing about this is McIntosh sounds dam good and they should let their systems talk for them. Maybe this arrogance is just in the bay area.

[RobP]

No, its here as well, when I was looking at amplifiers I stopped by my local Mac dealer, when he asked what speakers I had, I told him B&W, after that he went on to tell me how bad B&W was, needless to say I told him that he was one hell of a salesman, keep up the good work, turned around, left and never went back.

[gross30]

Yeah, I heard the same about a year ago from a salesman in the city. B & W, the largest speaker manufacturer in the world, got too big, products aren't the same, blah, blah, blah. The store was automatically placed on my "not to visit" list. B & W didn't become the worlds largest speaker manufacturer by selling garbage ! I.M.O.O.

[warnerwh]

Mac gear is excellent. The sales guy may believe it's the best. By what standards are you judging the best though?

When I was young I always wanted Mac gear. After being in this hobby for 35 years I've learned that what's good for one system may not be so for another. More importantly is personal taste.

With one particular set of speakers I may be totally satisfied with a Rotel amp or preamp. In another a tube preamp or amp may be in order. Build quality as well as reliability by Mac is excellent but so is Rotel. I had a guy who sells Krell gear tell me that he has less quality issues with Rotel than Krell.

The bottom line is that whatever you think is best is. Gear these days is made to very excellent standards from 1000 dollar stuff on up. What is best for you is only for you to decide.

[joetama]

Simple answer to is Mac the best of all time and ever..... NO.....

But, its pretty freaking good....

[John Holmes]

The bottom line is that whatever you think is best is. Gear these days is made to very excellent standards from 1000 dollar stuff on up. What is best for you is only for you to decide.

I think that said it pretty well. There are many good products out there. Too many to say that this or that is, well, it! Especially when we are talking about how much someone needs to spend to get to sonic heaven.

There is nothing wrong with spending $10,000 on a piece of equipment (whatever it may be) if it delivers the sonic or aesthetic presence you are looking for. There is also nothing wrong with spending $500.00 (on the same type of equipment) if it gives you an equal response. I just do not except dollar value equates satisfaction.

Some people will be very content with Yugo others a Phantom, just get what you want and can afford.

[jim777]

Yeah, I heard the same about a year ago from a salesman in the city. B & W, the largest speaker manufacturer in the world, got too big, products aren't the same, blah, blah, blah. The store was automatically placed on my "not to visit" list. B & W didn't become the worlds largest speaker manufacturer by selling garbage ! I.M.O.O.

That's funny. My dealer loves to sell B&W's with McIntosh (for the 703's and up).

And is mac the best? Well they may not be the best in every segment they cover but what's important is that they are "the best" to my ears

[David Meek]

Is MacIntosh the best? No. Neither is Boulder, Halcro, Simaudio, Pass Labs, Krell, BAT. . . . But, they are all superb. It's all about the synergy of the system and how that system's final sound impacts you - as has been said already.

[earwit]

It all of high end , I can't think of a more common pairing then
B&W and Mcintosh...That's because they work so well together.

Many dealers thru-out the country pair them together for demo's

I don't know if Mcintosh is the best, what's makes them different is
somehow they have made their products to be so musical and open
without being too bright or fatiguing...

Mac equipment becomes addictive and never tiring...

Happy owner of 802d's with MC352 amp.

Bob

[joetama]

When I was little my dad always told me McIntosh was the best...

It is very good there is absolutely no doubt about that. Speaking of their amps and preamps. I'm not so much of a fan of the speakers....

[twitch54]

Is MacIntosh the best? No. Neither is Boulder, Halcro, Simaudio, Pass Labs, Krell, BAT. . . . But, they are all superb. It's all about the synergy of the system and how that system's final sound impacts you - as has been said already.

David, you hit the nail on the head...."synergy", first and foremost in any of our equipment selection process regardless of "cult" status !!

[meltdown]

Their sound, certainly. But its their blue lite meters that are the needle in your veins. Captivating and adictive to look at.

[bvk_houtx]

I don't know if they are the best, but they are the best for me. I love the sound. The build quality & resale value are just an added bonus. Their custommer support is second to none.

[chinets]

It is excellent No doubt !! But to say the BEST???? It depends on one's taste in sound ,and if you actually like the Mac sound. Many do ,and many don't. There are many others out there that would make Mac have a run for the money ,but that is all a matter of taste and preferance IMHO!
Cheers

[joetama]

Their sound, certainly. But its their blue lite meters that are the needle in your veins. Captivating and adictive to look at.

It's like a bug to those zappers.... Closer... Closer... Closer... Bzzzzzz.....

[earwit]

In the Long-Run

Again who knows what is the best///

What I do know if you took the top hi-end manufacturers products:
McIntosh, Mark Levinson, Bat, Krell, Classe, etc..
and had a person keep and listen to the amps and pre-amps for a long-period
I beleive in most cases in the LONG RUN a high number of
people would prefer McIntosh..

What I think many of us hear and like intially from a system is not
what you want in the longterm....What I like so much about McIntosh
is how smooth, musical, laid back (but not too much) their sound is..

Bob

[SteveT]

Amps

Hi,

I was just wondering....I have to admit something,.. ops: I've never really understood how one amp can sound different from another in terms of sound quality within rated performance of not clipping....etc. That is just the component that generates the power needed to drive the sound from the source components to the speakers. I would think that the source component that the music is actually being played on and the speakers would make the actual difference, but I am probably wrong on that point although the source components and speakers of course make a substantial difference too. Can someone kind of explain to me how amps can vary in sound quality? Just curious.

Thanks,
Steve

[comeup]

Thats a real touchy subject around here Steve. There is a locked thread that you can read on page 8 of audio hideout called (Do Amps Really Sound Different) check it out you will find it interesting.

[earwit]

Great Article

There is a great article written in the September 06 Absolute Sound.

The author compares Classe, Audio Research, McIntosh and Musical Fidelity

http://www.avguide.com/products/product-3656

He goes into detail how one amp is more :
Focused versus diffuse / Forward versus Deep...
Smooth versus Pure / open versus tight
Extended versus rounded, Cool versus Warm..

"Mcintosh champion of liquid continousness,"
"Classe Relaxed",
"Audio Research dynamic sounding"
"Muscial Fidleity makes pano and voice sound real"

This is an excellent article which articulates in detail
the differences in amps....

Bob

[jim777]

Hi,

I was just wondering....I have to admit something,.. ops: I've never really understood how one amp can sound different from another in terms of sound quality within rated performance of not clipping....etc. That is just the component that generates the power needed to drive the sound from the source components to the speakers. I would think that the source component that the music is actually being played on and the speakers would make the actual difference, but I am probably wrong on that point although the source components and speakers of course make a substantial difference too. Can someone kind of explain to me how amps can vary in sound quality? Just curious.

Thanks,
Steve

If a speaker was a pure 8-ohm resistor, your remark would be 100% true.

However, we want to drive complex loads (look at impedance and phase responses in stereophile speaker reviews). In real-world cases, amplifiers will sound different in these loads for other reasons than clipping. This difference may or may not be audible to you. Complex loads combined to amplifiers with feedback will create different transient responses for example. Measuring the frequency response of the amp will not reveal these "ringing" problems. Many other examples exist.

But like everything else in high-end audio, sky is the limit, so what is worth it and what is not depends on you. There is also a lot of personal taste when talking about high-quality amps like those cited above (in other words, none of them are "bad", it all depends on your speakers, your ears and your budget!).

But this also goes to say that system synergy is very important. One amp/speaker system can sound great if each one doesn't reveal the weaknesses of the other.