Re: Bang & Olufsen - really as good?


"Bret Ludwig" <bretldwig@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1141503812.505456.301980@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Mcintosh also has unique styling and many of its customers feel it is
the best looking line of audio equipment in the world.

**Yep. That much is true. Personally, I reckon they look incredibly dated
and clunky. However, style is a personal issue. Trouble is, you pay SO
MUCH
for that style. You sure don't get any sonic gains.

And B&O style is inexpensive????

**Read my comments about B&O. We are in complete agreement about B&O.

I think it looks like overt
form-over-function.

**You're entitled to your opinion. However, B&O have always led the industry
in various technological areas. The customer pays very dearly for that
technological innovation (and the fact that the product is sourced from a
First World nation).

Mc's look is at least something someone raised on
Altec, WE, Ampex and other serious professional equipment can relate
to.

**Not with those silly output autoformers. They are akin to bolting on a
fifth wheel to a Ferrari.



Whilst I
understand the technical arguments against the autoformers as well as
anyone, they do not harm the performance of McIntosh power amplifiers
which measure very well.

**Yes, they do harm the performance of the amplifiers.

They still measure better than almost all their competitors.

**No, they do not. The autoformers see to that.

Not that,
in my opinion, it matters.

They don't sound all that superior but many
solid state and some tube amps sound even worse.

**SUre. I agree that there are even more incompetently designed producs,
than McIntosh. Not many, mind you.


I feel the McIntosh autoformers combined with tube driven (as with
Moscode) MOSFET outputs could be a very good thing.

**Why? Please provide your technical reasons to support this assertion.

It would allow McIntosh to appeal to the desire of Mc purchasers to
have vacuum tubes while providing a product which could meet the lowest
measurements of distortion, at significantly lower build cost, and
could-like the Moscode line-sound good to boot (as if that mattered.)

**I see. Kinda like bolting a few wheels to a Ferrari.


I am not impressed
at all or respectful of McIntosh's reisue tube equipment, for several
reasons. I do think they should stick with solid state if they don't
believe in the genuine merit of tubes, and am certain they do not.

Since Mcintosh amplifiers are not the most expensive brand to be had
(but are certainly somewhat overpriced) one can not take excessive
umbrage at their poor value for money.

**Sure one can. If McIntosh dumped the usage of autoformers, they could
reduce their costs (and, hopefully, retail prices) significantly.

They could not reduce their retail costs without lowering their
profits and prestiege in the minds of their upscale purchasers as well.

**The autoformers add SIGNIFICANTLY to the cost of McIntosh products. Audio
frequency transformers are expensive to manufacture, both in materials and
labour. They also add significantly to the mass of the product and offer no
performance benefits.

Mc prices its products according to what the market will bear at a
certain "value plateau"

**Really? Prove it. Do you have access to their confidential costing
systems?

and designs their product for their requisite
profit margin whilst maintaining reasonable reliability and their
signature superb measurements, which along with appearance and the
prestiege of the McIntosh marque constitute the McIntosh value
proposition.

Mc's best measuring model to date was autoformerless. It was a rather
poor seller, however.

**Which proves nothing, except that some buyers may be particularly stupid.


--
Trevor Wilson
www.rageaudio.com.au


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Bang & Olufsen - really as good?
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  • Re: Bang & Olufsen - really as good?
    ... the prescence of wasteful output autoformers, ... Mcintosh also has unique styling and many of its customers feel it is ... solid state and some tube amps sound even worse. ... Since Mcintosh amplifiers are not the most expensive brand to be had ...
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