I wasn't raised a McIntosh lad. My dad used Fisher, Bogen, Leak, and Ampex tubed electronics—and, at one time, even home-built speakers—to keep the house filled with a steady, enriching flow of Mozart. He never owned a Mac component, and, when going upmarket, reached for B&O, alas. So while I knew that many audiophiles hold tubed McIntosh gear—especially the early designs—in very high regard, I was somehow never bitten or smitten. But let's face it—for lo these many years, McIntosh has been for many
the name in quality American audio. Take my friend Dan, to whom I've referred several times in the pages of
Stereophile. He runs a tubed Conrad-Johnson 9 preamplifier, but wouldn't
dream of giving up his 270Wpc solid-state McIntosh MC7270. He's goldurn proud of it!
