McIntosh amps and receiver good or bad ??? (1 Viewer)

[Robert_Dufresne]

I have been reading the threads here for a while and I
don't see the brand name McIntosh appearing very often.
I see the name Krell, Lexicon, Bryston, Parasound,
Classé, Outlaw and Rotel quite often but never McIntosh.
Is this because they are not good , to expensive or
just not popular.
I always thought that they were among the best but I could be wrong. I know very little about high-end amps.
Robert

 

[Jason Wilcox]

The new Mcintosh pre/pro and matching amp have been getting some great reviews. (like HT Mag June)

They are also 2 of the most beautiful components I've seen. But, the look ain't for everyone.

 

[rodneyH]

My father has 2 Mc amps, He (and I) love them, but the look isn't for everybody. Some feel like they aren't worth as much as they sell for (although, no-one will say they are junk, but perhaps a little over priced) but they sound very very smooth.

 

[DanielSmi]

speak of the devil I just got back from my friends house and his dad is rich and has a full Mcintosh setup (yeah I'm jealous) he has the mx132 pre/pro (a little outdated doesn't do 6.1 or component input and has like 6 digital inputs 3 optical 2 coax, and 1 rf which is pretty skimpy for the price but it is 4 yrs old), a 5 channel amp 200x5, and a stereo preamp and stereo amp don't know the specs on those. I was just looking at his manuals overthere and I noticed with the mx 132 you can't change the sub crossover freq it's stuck at 80hz, but that's ok because he has a full THX certified m&k speaker and sub system. For value I probably wouldn't get their pre/pros because they still haven't updated them yet his 4 yr old preamp is still the flagship of their line which good and that design isn't modular meaning inlike a computer once you get it you can't upgrade parts for newer technologies when they come out and for that price I would expect to get something like that. I know Meridian has a program that does that, and that also makes it so that when the update bug bites it won't bite your wallet as hard because you only have to buy parts or software downloads instead of a new preamp. In regards to amps I think they are great amps are like speakers once you buy great ones you won't have to updated them for many many years you just might have to buy additional amps. Never does 600wpc become outdated nor does a 121db S/N ratio (damn those are good specs), his 5 channel amp has a 113db S/N ratio which is also quite good. If I had alot of money to burn I would buy a modular designed pre/pro and some McIntosh amps but not their preamp maybe if they were modular I would.

I have been reading the threads here for a while and I
don't see the brand name McIntosh appearing very often.

I see the name Krell, Lexicon, Bryston, Parasound,
Classé, Outlaw and Rotel quite often but never McIntosh.

Is this because they are not good , to expensive or
just not popular.

I always thought that they were among the best but I could be wrong. I know very little about high-end amps.


That is the exact same question I was asking myself tonight while I was reading his manuals.

Daniel Smith

 

[DanielSmi]

sorry gave you wrong specs on that mc602 it's 600x2 into 8ohms and 124db s/n ratio and it's 134db with a balanced input man I'm jealous of anyone who has one of those. But if you act now you can pick one up for the low low price of only $8,000 so call now!!!

Daniel Smith

 

[Daryl L]

For value I probably wouldn't get their pre/pros(MX132) because they still haven't updated them yet his 4 yr old preamp is still the flagship of their line

I was just looking at their site yesterday and it has the MX134 which does DD-EX and DTS-ES.

 

[Jason Wilcox]

yeah the mx134 and mc206 amp were the ones reviewed in the june home theater magazine. the scores they gave them were tremendous with the exception of the value score.

 

[Alex F.]

Robert:

I've written about McIntosh several times here over the past few months, so I am a bit surprised that a search did not yield those posts. A few others have discussed Mac's new receiver, too.

My wife and I have been auditioning high-end stereo and multichannel preamps and power amps to outfit the den and theater rooms in our new home (we just moved in last month). We have listened critically to many components and so far we keep coming back to McIntosh as our favorite.

Every McIntosh component auditioned has yielded a level of smoothness, clarity, tonality, imaging, and ease superior to all other competitors. They somehow combine the best attributes of both solid-state and tube components. Their level of musicality is astonishing.

Expensive? Certainly. But not more so than their direct competitors. The new MX-134 pre-pro ($7000), for instance, costs far less than the top units from Lexicon or Theta.

Remember that McIntosh is not competing with brands like Rotel, Parasound, or Outlaw (the ones you mentioned). Mac focuses on the top echelon of high-end equipment, and their products perform and are built to a standard one would expect for the price they command.

If you are in the market for the best possible sound and build quality, you would do yourself a favor to add McIntosh to your must-hear list.

Happy listening!

 

[Robert_Dufresne]

Thanks to all
Alex I will be looking for your posts, IMO the blue
glow is reason enough to get a Mac.
Robert

 

[Tom Brennan]

Robert---Oh McIntosh is very good stuff, especially the tube amps they made in the 1950s and 60s. Those amps are sought after by many tubies and hornies and go for big bucks. But unlike the other 2 great amp builders of the Golden Age, Fisher and Marantz (also highly sought old tube stuff, I own several Fisher tube amps and they are SO fine), McIntosh stayed a quality oriented company. McIntosh is a very serious company and designs for the ages and isn't into the latest trends. Design is somewhat conservative but with top quality and bullet-proof reliability. The stuff holds it's value very well and many older units are worth more now than when new, especially tube and earlier SS stuff. There are several good McIntosh sites, do a search under Roger Russel and McIntosh to find Roger Russel's all inclusive McIntosh site, one of the best audio sites out there.

 

[Justin Doring]

McIntosh makes superb gear that looks awesome, sounds great, and lasts forever. McIntosh competes with Krell, Classe', Levinson, and Proceed, and is superior to Bryston, Parasound, Outlaw, and Rotel.

 

[Cliff]

I have to agree with all the positive comments. Several years ago I owned a Yamaha A-1000 which was driving Definitive Technology speakers in my HT system. To my ears, this combination accentuated the high frequencies disproportionately to the midrange (i.e., what some folks would call 'bright'). It was okay for movies, but for some two-channel music it sounded harsh and was sometimes downright unpleasant to listen to. I was very upset at the time, trying to figure out what to do - get rid of the Yamaha? Replace the speakers? Separately, I liked them both.

I noticed that the same recordings did not sound harsh on my dedicated two-channel system which included a McIntosh amplifier. Although this system had completely different components and speakers than the HT system, I nevertheless decided to try a small McIntosh amplifier (the MC-7100) in the HT. Although hopeful, I was also skeptical and was really planning to replace the Definitive Technology speakers. However, when I spun the first disc (one of the 'problem' recordings), the sound was almost magical. I could hardly believe how great an improvement the McIntosh amplifier made. I decided on the spot that I was also going to power all my surround channels using the same amplifiers. Since I knew this would cost me a chunk of change, I adopted the name "baby Mac" for the MC-7100 to enhance the SAF (by emphasizing that these were the smallest McIntosh's available).

I now have several of the MC-7100s to power the HT system and am very pleased with them. Yes, they are expensive, and they do indeed have a certain retro look which some people don't like (although I personally do like their appearance).

So, that's my McIntosh story!

Cliff