Is Mcintosh the most popular Hifi brand?

[minplus]

In the US probably yes, in Europe certainly not.
Me, I'm a fan since the 70's and use them in our living room in 2 sets and there are more like me who like the sound and the looks. The brand is much appreciated over here, but if you would ask a 100 hi-fi-freaks perhaps 5 would name McIntosh. More would say e.g. Accuphase or Lyngdorf.
One problem with Mc is that they are expensive over here with 1 1/2 times the price of that in the US. And for innovations you pay a big lot sometimes.
The Mc MEN220 DSP you buy for 7.500 €, a Lyngdorf amplifier with the same DSP build in you buy for half the price. That's why people hesitate to buy McIntosh.

[kurt1970]

Originally Posted by minplus

In the US probably yes, in Europe certainly not.
Me, I'm a fan since the 70's and use them in our living room in 2 sets and there are more like me who like the sound and the looks. The brand is much appreciated over here, but if you would ask a 100 hi-fi-freaks perhaps 5 would name McIntosh. More would say e.g. Accuphase or Lyngdorf.
One problem with Mc is that they are expensive over here with 1 1/2 times the price of that in the US. And for innovations you pay a big lot sometimes.
The Mc MEN220 DSP you buy for 7.500 €, a Lyngdorf amplifier with the same DSP build in you buy for half the price. That's why people hesitate to buy McIntosh.

Totally agree. Mc stuff seems to be a lot more expensive in Europe (I live in Belgium) than in the US, making it out reach for some of us.
Next thing is that McIntosh marketing isn’t that great over here. Main reason why I moved to McIntosh was because it’s my dealer demo gear… Through listening sessions I started loving the sound. But if you go out in the street and ask “Do you know the McIntosh audio brand?”, I’m sure +80% will say “No”.
So, Mc marketing has some work to do over here

[jimimac]

I will stand by my opinion that the U.S.A makes the best Audio products on this Planet,Galaxy!!!

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by jimimac

I will stand by my opinion that the U.S.A makes the best Audio products on this Planet,Galaxy!!!

Well, at least transformers.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by jimimac

I will stand by my opinion that the U.S.A makes the best Audio products on this Planet,Galaxy!!!

Agree, and certainly for the money. Read MF review of the Dartzeel NHB-468 mono power amp in the recent issue of Stereophile. Cost 170,000.00 pair. It clips at 101W into 2 ohms and 205W into 4 ohms. My 25,000.00 pair 1.25KW's will do almost 10 times this into either tap. The Dartzeel is handmade Swiss and the Mac is handmade American. I'd rather have the Mac any day of the week.

[BuffaloBill]

Originally Posted by jimimac

I will stand by my opinion that the U.S.A makes the best Audio products on this Planet,Galaxy!!!

Jim, other than autoformers, what important design feature(s) about McIntosh do you believe make it stand out against European/Asian makes?

[Dylan Morris]

Originally Posted by BuffaloBill

Jim, other than autoformers, what important design feature(s) about McIntosh do you believe make it stand out against European/Asian makes?

The lovely big blue VU meters

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by jimimac

I will stand by my opinion that the U.S.A makes the best Audio products on this Planet,Galaxy!!!

Tbey're good, I'll grant.

But the German, Danish, Swiss, British and Japanese companies have amazing audio product design core competencies, as well.

Personally, I'm more of the view that great products are generally the result of great designers; individuals who are inspired thinkers and who can move up the "ladder of abstraction" in their thinking process out of the constraining box of academic EE academic education which is typically very solution-based and up to the level of a deep understanding of functionality at the level of transformations and transfer functions.

The audio product designers that spring to mind are (not in any order) Nelson Pass, Tim de Paravincini, Herve Delatraz, Caelin Gabriel, Wilfried Ehrenholz, Dave Wilson, Ivor Tiefenbrun, Roy Gandy, Andrew Jones, David Hafler, Yoshiaki Sugano, Peter J Walker, Hiroyasu Kondo, Dieter Burmester, and teams like Bill Conrad & Lew Johnson, Florian Cossy & Thierry Heeb.

I'm sure there are others I'd add to this list if I did some research.

[Bob Bubeck]

Now that names like Fisher have long since faded away, McIntosh is a name that is likely the best known (other than maybe JBL?) in the USA when one mentions "quality stereo equipment" to the non-enthusiast. Placement of McIntosh equipment as a synonym for stereo equipment in movies and TV over the decades is further proof of Mac's ubiquitous nature. Given the build quality, performance, history, value for price, and readily obtainable service support that McIntosh offers, I would be willing to wager that within the 'high end' in the States, McIntosh overall sales equals or exceeds most any upper end brand. The enthusiast magazine reviewers of their preamps and power amps over the last decade (e.g., Harry Person, Paul Seydor of TAS and several in Stereophile) have been highly enthusiastic and reluctant to point out the genuine bargains McIntosh amps and preamps often are for fear of damning with faint praise in the climate of price snobbery that pervades the hobby. "Best" is subjective, but "most popular" is much less so in this instance.

Happy listening!

Bob

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

Well, at least transformers.

Ermm...those Hashimoto transformers are pretty sweet, too, Ivan.