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For years Mc gear was also sold by word of mouth. You rarely saw an ad in a audio magazine. Now I see they are advertising in the Dupont registry and they also have a clothing retailer carrying some of their products. I guess they are looking for a new demographic. I guess the old tried and true Isn't working anymore.
Follow Ups:
It's the only high-end shop I can get to easily in the suburbs!
Anyway, they have Sonos, McIntosh, Primare, Arcam.
The interesting thing about the McIntosh is how BIG their equipment is!!
You got to LOVE those BLUE meters, though!
I think they made wise choices on this equipment lineup.
Let's face it, you are not going to buy Audio Research at a Best Buy.
The primary job of any company is profit. If there is no profit, the company doesn't survive. Improving marketing may mean a greater probability of profit and survival; it doesn't necessarily mean a reduction in quality of product--that's the argumentation error of false choice, since the two are not mutually exclusive.
This is not a comment of any kind on McIntosh's current quality.
Macintosh was never much good. MidFi, terrible cosmetics, mediocre quality.
At least is is dirt cheap.
How is Mcintosh dirt cheap?
I think he's pulling your chain, Sudz. No, Mc isn't cheap but IMHO it's largely overrated. In its price range you can do better. Ditto for Krell, of course it's possible to pay whatever you can spend for audio, I'd vote for the best designer with the best track record.
Right now that's Nelson Pass. As long as we're talking solid state.
A good solid state system should be in the $115K range++ YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
A VERY good tubed system (i.e. Jadis) could easily run you $275K++. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.
But a solid midfi system can be built for 50K or so if no analogue is included and you skimp on cables, and power conditioning. But it CAN be done. The arrival of SACD has made this possible.
Below that, you are talking table radios. Don't waste your money.
Professor John Kercheval
Absolute nonsense. That's right, that's absolute nonsense.
You are either the actual John Kercheval or a retard pretending to be him.
Now if you are the actual John Kercheval you wouldn't need to ask my opinion about audio, or anybody here. You'd simply hire me to advise you. Which I'd do. But it won't help because I'd give you the same advice I'd give anyone.
Or any retard using that name, which I'm certain is familiar to anyone around my neighborhood.
Which coincidentally happens to be your alleged neighborhood.
Now, I'll give you some free advice. Whether you like it or not. You need to try harder. You can't even fool a fool. Now that says a lot, but damn, man, you're pretty pathetic in all regards.
A mid-fi system for 50k. What have you been smoking?
Really when you can buy a pair of Magico speakers with their hyper treble for the same price.
Really what the big issue seems to be is that they advertised in The Robb Report rather than Grit.
When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it. ~ Bernard Bailey
...A changed marketing approach is simply a changed marketing approach.
Your question ” Has Mcintosh turned into a marketing company” seems somewhat puerile to me.
Smile
Sox
HI-
Yes, D&M Holdings is a Japanese outfit, and without question is responsible for day to day operations. But I was under the impression that the first deal that made up D&M was put together by Ripplewood Partners, an American financial firm, and that since 2008, D&M has been owned by Japanese investment funds that are run by Mitt Romney's business Bain Capital.
So in some sense, since Alpine let McIntosh go, the ultimate say-so has resided in the US; whether it ever has been exercised from the top down, I don't know.
And, I certainly got the impression from Ken Kessler's book that in recent years, all of the management decisions respecting McIntosh have been made locally in Upstate New York.
FWIW & YMMV.
ATB,
JM
G’day,
I think there is little to dispute in McIntosh being Japanese owned as it is simply a matter of fact.
However I concede my comment ”probably the reason the brand survived” is purely speculative.
I did base my speculation on the usually accepted belief that Japanese companies usually take a longer term view in supporting a company than American companies do. Thus maybe a reason McIntosh survived. I will repeat, this is certainly speculation on my part.
YMMV.
Cheers!
Smile
Sox
Mac was always an aspirational brand, even back in the day. Instead of advertising in the New Yorker and Saturday Evening Post they now advertise in the Robb Report. They are following the eyeballs of potential customers.
As long as the quality remains, I hope they are successful.
Best,
Ross
And don't forget the full page ad in Dupont registry.
I suspect you own none...and never will....and not by choice.
"I can't compete with the dead". (Buck W. 2010)
I do own an Mr-78 tuner.
When's the last time anyone here heard any or had some at home to hear? That's what I thought. Not so high and mighty now, ehh...
Same stagnant style, no real innovation. With the decline of 2-channel they may eventually have sign flippers.
don't know what you're talking about.
Marketing aside, I just heard a big Mac amp/preamp combo driving Vandersteen 5A's and they sound very, very nice.
I fail to see the problem. As long as they don't compromise their audio quality there isn't an issue. To remain alive they need to sell product. The audiophile community is graying. By advertising in those magazines they may bring some new blood into the community, folks who thought that Bose or B&O were the ultra non plus of audio. If some 30 or 40 year old lawyer, entrepreneur, dentist or doctor who have somehow paid back their college loans gets introduced to good audio then it is a win, win for all of us. A bigger market for good audio is a good thing.
Now don't you have anything positive to say about anything?
When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to discover they are not it. ~ Bernard Bailey
"To remain alive they need to sell product."
You're absolutely right Mike. My Robb Report swipe is really about my aging and remembering the old McIntosh from way back living in New York State when their ads were so much more simple. Again you're right, a business has got to innovate, expand their market if possible, etc. etc. One things for sure, McIntosh is still damn fine gear. Nice Bailey quote!
The lure of exclusivity..My dental and auto waiting rooms provide Robb Report magazines for killing time, and flipping through the pages I see the big Mac ads alongside the other ostentatious goods. No big blue VU's or tennis star wrist watches for me.
Edits: 07/01/11 07/01/11 07/01/11
I've never taken them seriously since.
"Lock up when you're done and don't touch the piano."
-Greg House
Edits: 07/01/11
I like to think that audio performance / sound quality is the highest priority when I'm buying gear. In general feature rich, overbuilt and beautifully styled audio equipment, though it may be worth the money,is hard for someone with my priorities to take seriously.
Back in the late 70s, I worked at Beatty Stereo in KC, MO as a salesperson. The store sold Yamaha, Luxman, Magnepan, B&O, Audio Research, Mark Levinson, and McIntosh. It was a fun place to work.
As soon as you entered the store, you saw a wall plaque that read, "The difference between men and boys is the cost of their toys".
It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.
Mark Twain
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Why? All these audio products are nothing but toys. :-)
-Wendell
Wendell
When you look at it from a logical standpoint,you are absolutely correct.Even 159 dollar audio system from Kmart will play the same songs as a 20k dollar mac system.They are not necessities to have all that expensive gear unless you have a compulsive disorder that makes you want to buy that stuff.It is all toys.
Diversity of opinions on any one technical subject,almost always causes confusion for the listener.
I have lots of vintage mac tube gear and a few solid state pieces..In the mid 70s,Mac was selling at a few discount places but it wasn't an electronics discount house per say.This place sold electronics but they also sold dishes,jewelry,lamps,and other household goods..The place was called Arthur's showrooms and it was there for a few years. I used to go in there as a kid and dream about that 2105 and that c27 or c28.
Diversity of opinions on any one technical subject,almost always causes confusion for the listener.
A challenge set forth, quickly proudly and loudly bested by any number of similarly inclined companies with follow-up advertising. "WE DARE" - it's been uphill ever since.
Edits: 07/01/11
.
So are you saying that audiophiles don't buy Mc gear?
Even though one might be able to buy gear that sounds as good a McIntosh (or many other expensive brands) for 1/3 the money it won't look as good nor will it come with the same features.Doctors, lawyers can get quality sound, good looks and a full plethora of features. Many of us want to spend less, much less and get as good or better sound without the frills.
We are all audiophiles.
Edits: 07/01/11
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Why wouldn't they?
Holdings and brands:
Denon
Marantz
McIntosh Laboratory
Digital Networks North America Escient
ReplayTV
Rio (digital audio players)
Creative Technical Network (CTN)
Boston Acoustics
D&M Professional
Denon DJ
Snell Acoustics
D&M Premium Sound Solutions
Allen & Heath
The Speaker Company
It happens.
More like it's the norm rather than the exception. Here's a few examples:
Audio Research
Martin Logan
Sonus Faber
Definitive Technology
Polk
Paradigm
PSB
Marantz
Mark Levinson
JBL
Infinity
Lexicon
Klipsch
Mirage
Energy
That's just off the top of my head. Mac was first bought by Clarion and then sold to D&M. So they're already on their second conglomerate. In my opinion, they're one of the companies that's suffered the least, as both owners had origins in Japan. The Japanese carry a high reverence for McIntosh, and except for Clarion's pushing the company into car stereo, its product philosophy remains largely unchanged.
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