Is Mcintosh the most popular Hifi brand?

[Antonmb]

I may be wrong (I frequently am), but I think McIntosh, like other big American brands, is popular in the US and among well-to-do Asians, but not so much in Europe where more small-home-friendly gear is more popular.

[nicoff]

First off, full disclosure: I have never owned McIntosh equipment and have no plans to own in the future.

The McIntosh is a classic. Without a doubt McIntosh is one of the very few iconic brands that are still around. The style of their products is recognizable everywhere (think of the blue lights you will recognize them in numerous movies). If you make a comparison with cars, during their prime, McIntosh used to be the Cadillac of yesteryear; the brand that everyone aspired to own.

Like everything in life, the market keeps evolving and new players have come to market that offer (some might say arguably) better products and/or performance. To follow up on my previous car comparison, today Cadilllac is not the epitome of excellence that it used to be. (McIntosh has gone through ownership changes and is now owned by an investment group.)

But then again, paraphrasing an old IBM axiom: nobody will ever get fired for buying McIntosh.

[Chericelise]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Chericelise.......For me, McIntosh is the sound of music. It is as simple as that. No matter what other manufacturer's amplifiers and preamplifiers I have heard in people's systems or my own, McIntosh always makes me feel like I have returned home. It's comfortable, cozy, and feels just right. Not only does the equipment sound astonishing by all measure, it has an essence of truth in its sound that does not try to exaggerate any part of the frequency spectrum in an attempt to claim some sort of greater resolution, claims that many other companies make but seem only to be able to produce an etched presentation that in the long term does not please my ears. I'm not saying there aren't many wonderful power amplifiers and preamplifiers available from well known manufacturers, but there isn't one that has been able to pull me away from the joy that McIntosh preamplifiers and power amplifiers have given me for over five decades of hi-end audio involvement. Come to think of it, there isn't another audio company that I can think of that has produced such an extensive catalog of audio equipment for 70 years other than McIntosh. It's not uncommon to see 50 year old McIntosh components still in service and sounding excellent, even by today's standards. McIntosh still provide parts and service for most of their gear no matter its age. What other audio manufacturer can make that statement. I am also fond of the fact that McIntosh is manufactured in the USA, creating jobs and helping support American families. That means something in this day and time.

So, to answer your question, "is Mcintosh the most popular and sought after Hifi brand?", I would say it certainly is popular on a worldwide basis among a large segment of experienced audio enthusiasts. Most popular? Who knows, but you would not fail to recognize McIntosh gear when you see it, even from across the room, and you will see lots of it in plenty of high-end sound systems around the world.

By the way, it is McIntosh, not Mcintosh.

Here is a YouTube video I posted four years ago of my now 54 year old McIntosh MA230 integrated amplifier still producing amazing sound. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1eEhFwApxE

Thank u for sharing this video.
It must be great sounding in actual listening.
I see u have a lot of McIntosh components except for Esoteric CDP, if I may ask why didn't u get the McIntosh CDP or transport with DAC?

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Chericelise

Thank u for sharing this video.
It must be great sounding in actual listening.
I see u have a lot of McIntosh components except for Esoteric CDP, if I may ask why didn't u get the McIntosh CDP or transport with DAC?

Chericelise.......That video was posted in 2015. I had two Esoteric K-03's at that time, one in the living room system and one in the studio system. I now have the Esoteric K-01X in the studio system.

As for McIntosh disc players/DAC's, I have owned the MCD7009, MCD205, MCD301, two MCD500's, and two MCD1100 CD/SACD/DAC players. I have enjoyed them all. In direct comparison with the comparable Esoteric player/DAC's I found the Esoteric CD/SACD/DAC's outperformed the then current McIntosh player/DAC's. You may find this Esoteric K-03 versus McIntosh MCD1100 review an interesting read.

As much of a McIntosh enthusiast as I am, I am not afraid to embrace other manufactures audio equipment if in fact an audio component truly outperforms the current similar offering in the McIntosh catalog. Such was/is the case for me with the SACD/CD/DAC players from Esoteric.

[Mikado463]

FWIW, here's an interesting perspective on McIntosh from another audio discussion board .....

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/f...mcintosh.9348/

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

McIntosh gear is a right of passage; you must own it first, before you can buy any other brand.

Agree!

[Cohibaman]

Originally Posted by Masterlu

McIntosh gear is a right of passage; you must own it first, before you can buy any other brand.

...or before one has the right to criticize them.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Cohibaman

...or before one has the right to criticize them.

Mike.......Amen. I am always amused at just how many people who have never owned McIntosh, or for that matter even heard a McIntosh system, seem to have such polarizing opinions. It sometimes seems those who never owned McIntosh gear are more opinionated than those who do own it.

High-end audio is a wonderful hobby, past time, commitment, obsession, or however one views it. There's plenty of room for everyone, and everyone's opinions. My thought is I'm happy I can't hear most other systems from my home.

[kurt1970]

Before I had the Accustic Arts Reference series components (tube pre-amp, tube dac & AMP III solid state amp). The more I heared McIntosh components, the more Accustic Arts components got swapped for McIntosh ones.

For me for sure the best I've got so far!

[Masterlu]

kurt1970... Welcome to AA!