I made a bet with thujan. He says that if this video gets over 500 likes, I have to make videos talking about individual components I've listened to over the years.
All the musicians i know love/own Yamaha and i know quite a few of them in my line of work...and i know it also has something to do with the fact they own musical instruments made by Yamaha. i highly doubt that Mcintosh suddenly became the musician's favorite.
I’ve watched you’re videos on a variety of equipment including the one you critiqued on the Devialet. Which is the reason I asked for you’re opinion being you’re final words were you thought it to be something to invest in, and I haven’t listened to a Mac in years.
I’m a nube audiophile. Starting my search for a high end system. Every time I hear a Mac amp, I’m stopped in my tracks. This is how high end should sound is what I am thinking. I heard $2800 Sonus Faber speakers through the MA352 and I was in love.
You are a newbie I am a well season audio file If I would’ve just purchased Macintosh at the start, it would’ve save me 25 years of trying so many things and wasting so much money you get what you pay for. My search is over I’m done it’s that good.
I've also had the 352 & a pair of S-F Sonettos for 2 yrs. Love the sounds & the ability to vary my listening experiences, using the multi-band tone controls.
A little history lesson. The Carver transfer function amplifiers 1.0t and 1.5 t were not tailored to imitate McIntosh, they were tailored to imitate Mark Levinson and Conrad Johnson. I owned a 1.0t. Lastly Mcintosh simply uses basic electronic principles that have been around since the 50's and 60's and builds them like a tank. Physics then and physics now are the same. They simply build pretty boxes that provide very large amounts of currents without distorting the signal. There is no magic, just good fundamental engineering applied to uncompromising build quality. Its called craftsmanship. No reason to reinvent the wheel if the wheel you came up with is essentially perfect.
Typically I don’t comment on videos. I don’t know this person. I should disclose we are a McIntosh Reference Platinum dealer for many years. As a McIntosh fan for 55 years I have enjoyed McIntosh and other very great brands. This commentary is a very good introduction to the McIntosh legacy. Very accurate overview.
Hey Jay, I got a good enough deal & purchased a McIntosh C49 entry-level Preamp & an MC152 Power Amp with Autoformers Output Transformers. I did not yet hear the power amp but I researched the heck out of it & it should drive my Qln Prestige Speakers quite well. Thanks Again, Regards, David-
I'm not sure about the negative comments, colored, slow or whatever but my system sounds really and I mean really good, to me anyway. C2600, mono block mc275 mk vi, Tannoy Ardens, twin Rel s812's.
They’re just haters. Most people have negative comments shit they can’t afford and most have not even ever heard a McIntosh system. I love my McIntosh system. Could care less what anyone else says.
I took a 4 hour drive to the McIntosh factory for a tour with my wife in 2015. The great thing about their components is they can service and restore any model from any year which is rare. They let me photograph anything I wanted which was a plus.
I own a lot of Mc gear some inherited from my Dad. I agree with your comments. I have an MC2205 set up along side Pass Class A. There are so many reasons to own the Mc gear besides whether it sounds better than X. ... because, let’s face it, sometimes it doesn’t sound better.
I was getting ready to disagree with a post raving about McIntosh. Until I heard the order and comment you make about it. #1 Resale value. Great first reason since sound quality is not it! I can actually agree with this! Screw sound, it's a financial investment! #2 McIntosh sound. Yes, it is not about superior sonic performance. It is about the well known sonic anomalies expected. Something LIKE a good tube amp. If that is what you enjoy, knock yourself out! #3 "Your buying it for the meters". Almost spit my mouth full of coffee out on this one! I was a Rep back in the '70's for top branded Audio equipment travelling 6 states. One Mac shop I called on had the best explanation when asked why they sell it. It was a college town. When a guy with a trimmed beard walks in with patches on their sweater he leads them to the Macs, turns it on and when the big blue meters shine, the guy just pulls out his check book! #4 transformers. HK's Citation had a much wider bandwidth transformer. Dynaco's sounded better. Mac's screwed up the damping factor giving the fatter low end. And to intentionally do that to a solid state amp that not only does not need, but is worse with an output transformer just to give the "sound"? As I have gotten older, I find what I learned way back then to still be true. However I have become far more accepting with the concept that not everybody pursues the same subjects for the same reasons or with the same biases and desired end results. There is a reason McDonald's is the #1.
If you like that clean soft sound , McIntosh is the amp for you. If you prefer quick and punchy , Bryston might be a better choice. Sound is like food , everybody has different tastes.
Nostalgia and innate (Bentley?) quality are my excuse for shelling out for the MA5300. I was introduced to Mc back in about 1959...and I guess they had been on the market for 10 years at that time. I thought they were beautiful to look at and beautiful to hear. Ironically, McIntosh "sound" is a very neutral and uncolored sound...you're hearing the truth of what is on the source material. I like that they are still almost hand made in New York...which alone makes them unique...Made in America is very very rare in the A/V industry. That fact that all the major electrical components are individually "auditioned" to be included in the box...very tight specs on components. It's just an anachronistic company and product...perhaps "expected" 50 or 60 years ago...but no longer. It took me over 60 years to reach the McIntosh pinnacle. I am not looking back.
Jay, I’ve got 2 vintage McIntosh amps. They are both from the mid 80s. MC2155 with output transformers (autoformers) and MC2002 direct coupled. Your description of the 2155 with the autoformer sounds exactly as you described. Luscious in the midrange and bass. The direct coupled 2002 is a bit different. It is very detailed and open. It’s bass is also a bit quicker too. It’s overall sound is still McIntosh because the midrange is still beautiful. Lastly, thanks for doing this video. McIntosh is rarely mentioned by RU-vidrs.
Good and interesting points here. Interesting that the first point you made is resale value. Smooth, alluring, and liquid are terms you use, dark. Those are fine. The nostalgia aspect you mentioned is tradition. 3rd point is transformers and components related. Approved by musicians is slightly cult and tradition, but can be a warming good thing to be a part of, welcoming and seal of approval by other musicians. It is a bit like BMW and Porsche. Overall would love if you could talk more about the components and science. Gain knowledge of it, and ideas of circuitry, transformers.
This or that amplifier is not better or worse than Mclntosh.. It is merely different. We all have unique hearing and rooms in which we listen... Who is anyone to tell anyone else what THEY are hearing. Like food, cars etc, there is no BEST. There is your FAVOURITE however.
Great video. I've owned Mcintosh gear, amp and pre-amp, since 2008 and I love them. They sound has kept me happy and content since day one. And they are reliable work horses that I keep on all night every night and the only thing I change the tubes in the pre-,amp from time to time. Very happy owner 😊
Jay,the reasons you listed are dead on! It's why I owned Mac gear! Items owned in the past, Amps: Mc 240, 2505,2100,2105,2200,2205,2255,and two Mc 2300's.Preamps: MX 110,C 20,C 26,and C 28.Tuners: MR 74,78. So, I understand! The reason Mac stuff sounds different than most solid state gear is that they never abandoned the output transformer design only seen in tube amps,as you mentioned.It's also why they aren't as transparent as the well made direct coupled amps(class A or AB). I liquidated all my Mac gear 20 yrs ago.Most of it ended up in the Far East with all the vintage large JBL,Altec gear I sold. I ended up getting into Audio Research,Krell, Threshold,Dynaco, Heathkit,and for great bang for the buck amps(which I still use) Crown!
In your experience, why did you switch from McIntosh to other solid state brands? I’ve listened to the McIntosh MA5100 and I thought that the midrange was a bit recessed in comparison to/with my Parasound HCA-2205A. The parasound is superior! But the McIntosh has a very warm old school sound that is nice especially for LP’s. I can get the 5100 for about $800 right now if I want it but what would I use it for? I’m already addicted to the sound of my Parasound which is holographic and beautiful. It’s very powerful and sound absolutely incredible. I get the feeling that McIntosh is a good product but they are built on brand loyalty and HYPE. Am I correct? What are your opinions?
I, this past year, got a Mcintosh C200 preamp. Some guy at Stereophile called it "the best preamp Mcintosh knows how to make. " Where do I go from here?😅 The tube preamp, of course. I'm bragging here because who else can I brag to?
I love the content but I also really appreciate that you take the time to make you videos look and sound great. It's amazing how many audio related videos sound like crap.
Hi Jay. On a point of logic, you can't say that McIntosh amplifiers (or any others for that matter) are the BEST in the world unless you've heard all the others. You like valves. I get it. So do I. I bought VTL having heard McIntosh. VTL sound much better than McIntosh because the music sounds real. No contest, and I have no association with them, beyond buying from them with my own money. BTW, when you hear a really good Hi-Fi system, you stop listening the system. You never listen the system. You only listen the music because the Hi-Fi doesn't get in the way. It's all about the music. It just has to sound real, like it does in real life. No more. No less. If the Hi-Fi flavours the music, it isn't doing its job properly. The comparison should always be with real music.
We old farts are the only group left that it is still politically correct to make jokes about. SNL knows this. It won't be fun when you are as old as you look.
Young Grasshopper....so much to learn. McIntosh had produce good and bad models with a sound signature to it's own. The beauty is there are a number of fine manufacturers that can produce musical bliess.
There are much better ones, especiallt if you count in the materials used, material cost and the price they asking. The 'autoformers' are just ordinary iron cores not even c-cores or amourphous material.... Way overhyped. Their 4xkt120/ch amp sounds like a dead transistor one, lifeless, emotionless and i got a headache, they were connected to the most expensive B&W speakers but i was not impressed. So totally NOT agreed
@@gossipboynyc2434 the reason they sounding dead is the huge amount of feedback (just good for measuring spec's but you making the sound lifeless). Kondo AudioNote is something else 😂 it is like comparing just a tesla with a fantastic Rolls Royce. Sponsored tests are biased positively to the tested brand so it is not a neutral test... Audio Science Reviews does it a whole other way. If a product is expensive but sounding and measure like sh*t they just saying that... Alot of brands are looking fantastic at the outside but are dissapointing at the inside ( cheap parts, premium price)
McIntosh has legendary build quality and build quality control. They will sound great for a long, long time. They are renowned for almost zero noise because of patented methods of grounding and shielding. Their sound has great weight and authority. When the woofer slams, the floor tends to slam too. The transformers and most of the components are hand made as are the units themselves. They are shipped in wooded crates. They're just excellent and excellent looking classic pieces.
Even in my teens... There were women I wished I could have dated, there was audio equipment I wish I could have touched, owned and loved.... Yes... it was McIntosh.... big back side... and her meters were delicate and responsive.... She knew it... and her price was out of my reach... it still is.
Thanks Jay! Couldn't agree more. What speaker brands to you think pair favorably with McIntosh? I've seen a lot of Wilson, B&W, and Sonus Faber paired with them.
I have a pair of MC30 monos I bought from the original owner in 1986 for $450 (which included a pair of EV Stereon 850s.) The Macs still make sumptuous music in 2022 (and worth between $3k to $4k today). Will purchase new C49 and MC152 gear this year. You can’t take it with you…but, perhaps the memories of those final delicious notes will linger. Great video, Jay! PS: Sorry, the MC30s are not for sale. 😎
Years ago Bob Carver made a challenge to the audio industry in general that he could make any one of his amplifiers sound like any other manufacturer's amplifier regardless of cost. I forget what the prize was if he lost the challenge was if he failed, but I recall it was a hefty sum. Many trials have been held and he never lost one comparison. The challenge stands to this day. Basically, he did it by measuring and employing the transfer function (or null comparisons) of the test amp and his amp. This is the short answer, there's more here: And here was Carver in 1985 cleverly showing that two amplifiers which measured reasonably well, sounded differently. We should also be in awe of Carver's ability to shape the transfer function on the fly. That's pretty remarkable too but not the scope of this post. My point is, really, Carver showed us a revolutionary way to examine differences between gear in 1985 and yet ... it did not become widespread. > As far as I know very few manufacturers of any bit of kit or cable took this technique up. We are still stuck in 1985 for specifications, measurements and lack of understanding of what measures cause what effects and end up cycling through cables and amps based on a great deal of uncertainty. Carver's approach was to feed a speaker via both amps at the same time using opposite terminals. The speaker itself was the measure of accuracy. Any difference in output between the two amplifiers would cause audible output. What's super important here is Carver invented a new way to measure the relative difference of amplifiers with a real load. My points, in summary: Most of what we consider state-of-the-art measurements are stuck in the 1970s. 1. There are a number of ways to improve upon them 2. No one has. 3. We should be a little more humble when asserting if it can't be measured it isn't audible because our measurements are not nearly comprehensive. I look forward to manufacturers or hobbyists to pursue new measurement and new insights into our hobby.
What the heck hair REALLY?I dont care about what you look like or who you are you dont know me and liked wise just educate me with Macintosh.....WHAT do you think of the Macintosh MC250?
yea all that you said has a basis in fact. However, 90% of the worldwide population can't afford these components. It is an elitist product. You are talking to a very small group here. For what they charge, should have a lifetime warranty.
But because mchintos use output transformer that become damping factor very low.that way Mcintosh bass is not so good like Amplifier does not use tranformer.
Hey Jay... Im 63 with involuntary "silver conductors" ... detail was much better in my 20/ 30/ 40's!!! Ive had "silver conductors" now for 15ish years... ??? Hopefully... I just need a little more "break in time"??? Enjoyed the Video!!!
@@MattP613 Some people think they can tell everything about a component just by looking at the specs. Its impossible. No one can do it. There's something about high end audio that drives them crazy, and robs them of all rational thought.
In the 80’s I went to purchase a pair of speakers when I heard Macs for the first time, and I was instantly smitten. Still am today. I go to the stores, listen to other brands, come back home and turn on my Macs and I’m in heaven. Can’t imagine owning anything else
Let me just say this about MAC; years ago it was an industry standard but now it’s build quality is just not the same. They have an amp that costs over 20K and they use a $7 dollar volume control. Look at some of their remotes again in terms of build quality it looks and feels like a Walmart TV remote. I think Hegel beats MAC hands down just on their build quality alone. There remote is build out of a solid piece of metal. I have the 300 Hegel amp and if you want to know about build quality just try to pick it up. It’s built like a tank. I have the Hegel 300 the ATC 19s a Hegel DAC and Transparent Series 5 cables and I will put it up against anything costing 3 times as much MAC included.
I have never regretted buying high quality anything, however, I have regretted several times buying low quality because I thought it would save me money, but it never did for more than a day, after the day you buy something on the cheap side, it starts to cost you. After years of dreaming about owning a McIntosh power amp, I finely got my chance, I bought some used gear and after a year, sold it and bought a new MC-602, 2 X 600 and then increased my Mac gear until my entire system is now McIntosh and I have loved it every day since and so does everyone that comes over, it's fun to show people what music can sound like, but I got it all for me. Save up, buy used at first if you need to, then move up to exactly what you want. I like the way I went with a big 2 channel amp for stereo listening and then got a 5 channel 5 X 200 for my surround sound movies and music, then a Mac sub woofer too. Found a MX 151 used for a great price, it can be done, if you really want it. They just don't break and hold value like nothing else out there. After 20 years, I can sale my amp for about what I paid for it new, but I never will.
They are not! Mc is crap! Audiophools like how they look and convince themselves that also sound good. Try this, do a double blind comparison test between the "best" Mc and a Purifi class-D. Or better yet, compare measurements results... Mc is crap!
Whenever people claims that a products is one of the best (here: amps), i need to throw in an update for u. Everyone here who hasn't heard a Lavardin amp (French company), you should defiantly do it, before making any conclusion on this topic. To many Audiophiles is completely unaware of this brand, and i understand people reading this can be annoyed me claiming this, but then please read up on the brand before going berserk ;-) Lavardin amps are truly very very special, and doesen't sound like your normal solid state. Cheers from Denmark
I read about the Lavardin amps and always wanted to hear one, but unfortunately they have no distribution in North America. Sometime when I am in England I will try to get to a dealer and listen to one.
I love your diagnosis. 😂 Let’s just say I bought a full McIntosh stereo system some years ago and it’s the best damn frigging money I’ve ever spent. No regrets here.
Nothing against Mc just my own observations as an audiophile for 30 years. First: preamp. For rock and jazz, Mc can not touch Naim 552. For classical and vocal, Audio Research is miles better than Mc. Don’t have much to say about their power amps. I do remember once in a dealer in San Jose, a pair of Linn Klimax mono against a monster massive weighs a ton Mc whatever, Linn absolutely missed nothing. Also I don’t buy this Mc sound, should we consider best sound is no sound just music flow representing musician’s true emotion and intention? In that regard, Mc is not first one being mentioned. Also about resell value, it’s about marketing scheme. One area I do think they are very good at it is all their components were chosen with very high qualities at least used to be.
Back in the 70'a, Mac had Clinics" all over the country. Went to many and brought my equipment to have it measured. Mac would graph all your equipment for Thd. But after a few years, Mac stopped as the cheaper Japanese brands like Sansui could measure as well. I brought my Marantz 19 to see how it measured against the Mac 1900 receiver. At the Clinic, the MAc techs would measure the tube amps, and if out of spec, would repair and change the tubes out at no charge!
My Onkyo M504 purchased brand new for under $900.00 back in 1998 i still think is the most elegant looking amp ever made with the extra large meters, and fake rosewood side panels.... it may not sound like a Macintosh amplifier, but cost me far far less than anything like a Macintosh, and the M504 still looks nicer... however i would still like 1 of the older Technics amps with the even bigger meters than my Onkyo M504 lol...
Kinda disagree, I sold Mcintosh for awhile. Never thought them particularly spectacular. Very well built and sounded good but nothing that stood out to me anyways.
The thing I always heard decades ago was that doctors bought Mc. Well they could afford it after all. I may get a chance to get a Mc integrated amp some day. I had a Mc tuner once. And yes, I got it for the looks. As FM is a pretty secondary source now.
Yea, not a fan of Doctors owning Macs. I went into a Hi-Fi shop in fhe late 80's and saw a Mac 1700 receiver that I wanted so badly. I was young, did not have a lot of cash, the price was like $495 and I was told the Falmouth denist would not come down a penny on the price. Screw him. So now in 2022, I stumble upon a mint one at a steal. I waited 35+ years but happy to be the new owner of a Mac1700. I am glad it did not have a wood cabinet as the chrome and exterior are mint. I know the tuner throws off a lot of heat, and the cabinet ventalation is in the back so that does no justice. You don't really "own" the equipment, you are a caretaker for the next person in line..............
Check out how many artists actually paid for their Mcintosh gear and those that were given that gear free from Mcintosh... With the price they charge why isn’t the warranty better? I’ve had at least four Mcintosh amplifiers and all needed repairs , two out of warranty. Vintage Mac’s were great. 80’s and 90’s not so much. Just ask the repair techs that try to fix them. They are aware of the cheap parts and construction that those decades produced.
Absolutely agree! I bought a brand new Mac I/A few yrs back & actually had to send it to the Company in Binghamton NY for service numerous times & not satisfactorily serviced & virtually had to threaten the company with mass bad press for the handling of the entire fiasco!😡 Low & behold they sent me a brand new//newer model unit! Immediately turned around & sold it as Unopened NIB just so I would Never have to deal with such poor qc, repairs & customer service!😡 Much happier Not having it in my system!
I owned 3 McIntosh components... an amp with a faulty amp channel and significant cosmetic issues with the blue metres, a digital preamp with firmware and cosmetic issues and a power filter with intermittent issues... after my experiences I seriously question the reputation of the company...
There is also the simple math of supply and demand that comes with being in the audio business for 72 years. You don't last that long by turning out bad equipment.
Amazing! Mcintosh manufacture hi-fi components. Hi-fi components are primarily designed to faithfully reproduce audio. Yet, less than 8% of this video was dedicated to the Mcintosh sound. I’m damned glad I watched it at x2 speed. Bravo to RU-vid for that facility.
