How Did You Discover McIntosh?
 

Just a little reminiscing here: I was maybe twelve years old when my uncle came to live with us, bringing with him some Altec speakers, a Dual 1229 turntable, Southwest Technical Products 60-watt monoblocks and a McIntosh MX113 tuner-preamp.

Every one of those components entranced me in its own way. The Altec 811 horns and 416 woofers were so massive and industrial; the crossover case so mysterious. The Dual's tonearm gimbals and platter, and that strobe! So precise and lovely. And the monoblocks so heavy and purposeful and menacing.

The Mac, though. The Mac was like a vintage Rolls Royce, or a Swiss watch: The glass face, machined knobs, glistening buttons ... I used to give the tuning knob a hefty spin and marvel at how the flywheel would make the needle race down the dial until the cord came off and my uncle would have some choice words for me ... The Panloc system and the wood case were unlike anything I had seen before, craftsmanship from another age. And the sheer heft of the thing ...

And yes, of course, the whole system sounded wonderful to my young self, far better than any stereo I had ever heard, or would hear for a very long time. Pink Floyd, Jim Croce, Traffic, It's a Beautiful Day, Chicago, Santana ... my uncle was a child of the 60s and he had some great stuff.

And so I came to appreciate Mac not only for how it sounded, but for its look and feel. I thought I'd share that as I plan to pick up a nice MA6000 next week. It's been a long time.

1974 - Subic Bay Naval Base P/X.

I was on convalescent leave after an 11 month - 4 day tour in the NE corner of Thailand, recovering from a slight ding or two. I was at Clark AFB and wandered over to Subic Bay to visit a cousin stationed there.

He knew I was into music and mentioned that the big Navy P/X there had a great deal on music systems that I should check out.

I had a bunch of back pay burning a hole in my fatigue pockets so before I rotated back to the good old U S of A I had purchased and shipped:

1 - MR77 tuner
1 - C28 preamplifier
2 - MC50 amplifiers
2 - Sansui SP30 speakers
1 - Dual 1215 turntable

I enjoyed this system immensely and it was my first experience with McIntosh. Unfortunately, a light fingered roomie left California with all my gear in tow while I was on TDY orders to Colorado.

All I can say at this point is I am glad I gravitated back to McIntosh after so many years of trying other brands.

I'm actually trying to remember exactly how I first experienced McIntosh. Every time I try to remember, all I can think about is watching The Departed in the theater and seeing all of that gear. But, I know that I knew exactly what it was and had heard it prior to that.

I think the first time I heard McIntosh was also the first time I heard Martin Logan--probably around 2001. For the first time, I had some speakers that weren't total junk (ok, they were total junk--but they were something!) and I was thinking about upgrading. A friend suggested that I check out Martin Logan because he loved ESLs. After hearing them, I knew I had to have ML speakers one day (it took me almost 15 years) and I remember being captivated by the McIntosh equipment that was powering driving them.

It took a long time; but, now I own a C2300 and MC452 as well as Martin Logan Theos and Motif X speakers and I'm extremely pleased!

My Dad grew up in Binghamton. I still have his 5100. He swore it was a tube amp because he had no money. If he was still around I'd still agree with him-- even if we all know better;) My son gets it all-- thank god that even at 8 he shows signs of a true audiophile!

AMR DP-777, VPI Classic 3, McIntosh C500, 2301 (2), PMC IB2S (2), JL Audio f112 (2)

Abour 3 years ago, I unpacked my old sound system late 70s SEARS proffessional system, it did not sound as good as I thought. So I started doing some research fell in love with some Sansui stuff but then I discovered Mcintosh and its heritage and history, the love people had for these units. On a trip to NYC I stopped over at AUDIO Classics and spoke with Andy after a couple of hours and a tour of the MCintosh plant I was on my way with my 3 Macs the C28 the MC2505 and the MR74 not the newest but they sound amazing to me.....

Growing up my father had a full Mc-rig with the custom oak cabinet and the matching speakers in their own cabinetry (the ML-3C, I think). I really didn't know the difference between McIntosh and, say, Koss at the time, but he had a thing for owning the best so I knew it was special.

I don't really recall how it happened but the speakers eventually went kaput (rodent damage, maybe?) and we ended up using the speaker cabinets as media storage. A few years later my Dad needed to free up some cash so he sold what was left. It makes me sad thinking about it.

I get incredibly nostalgic whenever I see any McIntosh gear nowadays, so logging onto AA and looking at this subforum is almost therapeutic. Hopefully someday soon I'll bring more McIntosh gear into my home.

I listened to a couple of MAC systems at friends homes and drooled over it in the gloosy Hi FI stereo magazines way back in the day into the mid 90's and still do on the web now and then although I've repaired a few amps I've never owned any.

OTOH I wouldent object to some phat MAC monoblocks or just about anthing else they make either :).

Lived just off the corner of 20th & Cherry in CC Philadelphia while at the UofPA in the mid-70s. Would walk to school most every day and would pass by Danby Electronics (Dan Greenfield), which was "the" center-city stereo shop, though one would never know it from the front. Decidedly unimposing. Danby was one of the largest McIntosh dealers of the day. Though I've had many McIntosh pieces over the years, I'm down to a single MR65 tuner at the moment. Will likely end up with some more 'blue eyes' in my system at some point. Always seem to gravitate back to them.

One thing that can be said about McIntosh gear is that it is "timeless". Nice system and folks like AC and/or Terry DeWick will keep it that way for you.

My college roommate had a C22 driving a pair of SWPTC Tiger amplifiers and Ohm speakers. That was 1975. Sounded great. I loved the style of the C22, but, alas, I was pulled into the SS frenzy of the time. My roommate sold his C22 to a friend for $200.

Both of my grandfathers had Mac gear, though I didn't realize it until many years later. It left a strong visual impression on me that I never forgot. I used to think all old people had those things because both granpa's did.

I have my first piece of Mac gear incoming this week. Grandpa's would be proud.