The McIntosh Group Introduces New Products at NYC Event, Part One

joeinid

Well-Known Member
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/art...ntroduces-new-products-at-nyc-event-part-one/

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Definitely hearing"Smugglers Blues" in the background........Is this even a greater example of phallic insecurity or obelisks celebrating a conquering hero's (heronine's) lifetime of successful "deals"

Certainly a example of big city marketing gone astray.

The management of McIntosh sure seems to be gambling a lot on this "trophy" marketing, is this a extension of the "race on Sunday, sell on Monday" advertising scheme....that is get free accolades from the audio press to hope it will reap sales?
 
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This was a great event in my opinion as I was the one who helped set up the system and ran the demo. The best compliment was from a non-audio person at the townhouse who said this was the best sound they had experienced in the room.
We would also add that this kind of $200K sound system is a proper match for a large high end home like the townhouse.
Thanks,
Ron-C
 
That's fine and dandy ron-c, but I'd tend to take the comment from a "non-audio person" with a very small grain of salt. Maybe McIntosh should not forget its larger customer base and present their new products in a fashion that matches that demographic. And maybe do it somewhere other than NYC. I hope not to offend, but to many, the "townhouse" is more like an outhouse.
 
This is a high end "carriage trade" approach to promoting this company's product line. They have perhaps a couple of offerings in the range of a good preowned automobile, but for Everyman, mostly unattainable. For the fortunate few, a dual market for those that desire the "best" sound possible without regardless of cost in a one-make turnkey assemblage, and those who decorate lavishly with "money that shows" to impress, or both.
For those of us who have scaled down budgets and expectations, it's nice to know that there are ultimate examples of our own individual paths to audio nirvana, tho' out of our reach. Hopefully, it provides innovations that downscale and improve the general state of the art, as happens with technology.
 
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A lot of reviews from the audio press are now out about the new products shown by the McIntosh Group at the NYC Townhouse. Please read these if you want to sample the press experts opinion.

Thanks,
Ron-C
 
Just think of all the Millenials that will inherit that equipment 30-40 years from now. Ron_C, keep that parts department stocked up!
 
Good point. As we explained at the event, the new XRT 2.1K is the 12th McIntosh Line array model we have developed since the XRT20 in 1979. I would wager that most of these speakers are still in use today. When the XRT20 came out some thought McIntosh was crazy to build such a large and expensive speaker system.
Which goes to show many things do not change much over time.

Thanks,
Ron-C
 
If I remember correctly the XR7s were $2400 a pair so yes the XRTs at double the price pushed the envelop, however, after our owner got over the shock of having to buy a pair so Gow could use our storefront to premier them for the midwest, we, the sales team, put our collective heads together and had a list of 6 or 7 clients that would be prospective buyers. We then made sure these prospects had a personal invitation to come to Gordon's presentation.

Tape measure came out and two of those prospects bought within the next 60 days......When the 19s came out it made things easier and we settled in to delivering 6 pair either/or a year....

Did not affect the expected 3-4 MAC4100s sales a month, might have made the expense of the XR14s or 16 less dear but ultimately did nothing much to expand the business.

Having sat in Gordon's office as he explained how important it was for dealers to support all the product the factory built, you know to keep all the employees building product and keep everyone doors open, the big picture began to make sense.

Most dealers who made their nut did it by supporting all the products.....the dealers who didn't were constantly not close to hitting expected sales.

You can buy a good review from a audio wordsmith for peanuts or at least a good bottle of single malt......how many dealers signed up?
 
Back then when I was in retail we has the XRT20s on the floor and sold a few pair a year. We were a top 5 Mc dealer in sales volume at that time.
XRT2.1Ks are in very short supply but 4 dealers have them on display right now. These will sell fine as they check all the boxes on big sound while being most refined XRT yet.

Thanks,
Ron-C.
 
JRB used to send us all the dealer's mailers....I seem to remember one from SF that had a fish tank on it......actually visited a SF dealer in Sept. 1979....don't remember any Mac speakers. Infinitys but not the IRSs.....of coarse I do not think that they came out until 1980....
 
JRB used to send us all the dealer's mailers....I seem to remember one from SF that had a fish tank on it......actually visited a SF dealer in Sept. 1979....don't remember any Mac speakers. Infinitys but not the IRSs.....of coarse I do not think that they came out until 1980....

Maybe House of Music (then on Union St)? I was a customer there starting around 1975 - I bought a B&O turntable from them at the Union Street shop to go with my B&O 5700s.

HoM is still in business in SF at a different location. More recently, I got my MC 275 IV, MPV861, MCD500 and MX121 from them.
 
Definitely hearing"Smugglers Blues" in the background........Is this even a greater example of phallic insecurity or obelisks celebrating a conquering hero's (heronine's) lifetime of successful "deals" . . .

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," a quotation frequently, but probably incorrectly, attributed to Sigmund Freud.
 
JRB used to send us all the dealer's mailers....I seem to remember one from SF that had a fish tank on it......actually visited a SF dealer in Sept. 1979....don't remember any Mac speakers. Infinitys but not the IRSs.....of coarse I do not think that they came out until 1980....

You are thinking of the old House of Music on Union and yes they had a big aquarium in the shop. I worked at Century Stereo in San Jose. The South bay is where the big money was and still is at.

Ron-C
 
My new bride could not stop shopping but did let me slip away for a few hours to go visit a fellow dealer......can't remember if this was before or after we spent 3 days at a boatel near Point Reyes and had a deserted beach all to ourselves, except for the mule dear.

Back in 1983 or so I was competing with a guy out of Long Beach if memory serves me right.
 
I am really shocked that they didn't give Roger Russell the Credit where Credit is due. He was the one with the idea for Line arrays, Carl was his assistant later on. True Carl developed the very successful LD/HP system for woofers and mids, and continued to refine Rogers pioneering work. They were a team and not mentioning Roger is a large over site. It would be like saying Gordon Gow was the foundation of Mcintosh and for getting about the founder.

And how do they justify two mid woofers when Roger and Carl proved with the XR 290 that the mids had to be produced by a full length line array to prevent unwanted reflections off the floor. And though six 8 inch woofers maybe a bit faster than 12" woofers, they are giving up 1/2 the cone area of the 2k speaker increasing the travel distance the woofers must make by a factor of two which introduces more FM distortion making the sound less natural. You start modulating important frequencies from Middle C4 on down and you are asking for trouble.
 
Listening to speakers on paper is always risky. You will have to hear them and then decide for yourself.
Thanks,
Ron-C
 
I see no reason to denigrate McIntosh for hosting such an event. I mean, why not? Their gear set up to perform to it's best on display in an ideal setting. Show me a hotel suite that permits that.

Reading the comment stream afterwards shows you that some folks simply prefer ignorance. I guess us Mc owners, for 7 decades, prefer to buy McIntosh gear for it's pretty looks. In exchange, we forgive it for it's lack of substance.
 
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