I saw that, Mac has been kind of stagnant for awhile maybe some Bose level marketing will give them the kickstart they need. That, or they slap the name on a few BT speakers and let the brand otherwise die.
@PWRRYD said:
Just my opinion/experience but aquisitions never seem to improve brands.
Agree.
One exception I can think of; Audi buying Lamborghini. Italian design, German engineering +++.
Don't you mean Volkswagen? I'm almost positive VW owns Audi, Lamborghini, and Bugatti, as well as others.
I think you are correct Ben.
My former GM bought a Bugatti. From what I hear that good looking car was in the shop for repairs more than he acrtually drove it. He now has a Porsche Panamera 4. Cool looking car.
My former GM bought a Bugatti. From what I hear that good looking car was in the shop for repairs more than he acrtually drove it. He now has a Porsche Panamera 4. Cool looking car.
@PWRRYD said:
I always thought the SAAB 900 looked way cooler than any Volvo.
The designer of the Rover SD1 3500, a cool looking but unreliable 70s car modelled on the Ferrari Daytona, once said of the Volvo 740 'it will look good once they take it out of the packing crate'.
My brother in law had one of those SAABs, it was a lovely car with a great interior; unfortunately it was written off when someone tried to steal it, couldn't, and destroyed the interior. FWD and turbo made for some quirky handling at times.
I hope that Macintosh doesn't become yet another 'badge engineering' story, i.e. selling and marketing the same product under different labels at different price points.
BMC/Leyland were champions at that, selling basically the same cars as Morris, Austins, MGs and Wolseleys. So was GM, with the same car being a Pontiac, Buick, Chevrolet etc depending on the market.
With some European cars - particularly some German brands - there seems to be good engineering, but mediocre design. For example, our garage had a certain German V8 turbo in for serious repairs due to oil and coolant leaks in the centre of the 'V': great engineering to fit all the bits neatly into the space, but poor design in terms of reliability and repair cost. The five year old car needed A$7,000 of repairs, much of which was labour just to get access to the parts.
Rightly or wrongly I have always thought of McIntosh like the Harley Davidson of audio. Big. Heavy. Expensive. V-twin rumble = Blue meters dancing. Cult followings. For years I lusted after a Mac amp, but I got over it. Now, they have completely lost me. They are all about “the brand”. Hell, they sell (or try to) a “light box” for $1,500. Literally, a box, that sits on the shelf or your audio rack, with a light inside, to illuminate the McIntosh logo. That’s it. Doesn’t do anything else. $1,500.
Not to go off topic too much, but we have a Harley dealership in town. The only Harley dealership in Monterey County in fact. Do they sell motorcycles? No. No motorcycles. T-shirts, leathers, mugs, key chains, etc. No bikes, just merch.
I don't own any McIntosh gear, but I've heard they are more than happy to help keep their legacy pieces running. If you crack the faceplate glass or need a replacement transformer, they still supply the parts. I'm sure they make a pretty penny on the parts, but it's going to be cheaper than buying a new comparable unit.
@jhollander said:
I may regret it but I just ordered a German sports car.
At least in Oz, BMW customer support is reportedly much better than 'other' German makes; e.g. more accepting of warranty claims and actually listening to customers.
@Tom_S said:
I don't own any McIntosh gear, but I've heard they are more than happy to help keep their legacy pieces running. If you crack the faceplate glass or need a replacement transformer, they still supply the parts. I'm sure they make a pretty penny on the parts, but it's going to be cheaper than buying a new comparable unit.
I had a friend who used to run an ad in the newspaper every once in a while looking for used tube amps and would pick up vintage McIntosh amps cheap and restore them. And yes, he could get any part he needed from McIntosh.
Comments
I saw that, Mac has been kind of stagnant for awhile maybe some Bose level marketing will give them the kickstart they need. That, or they slap the name on a few BT speakers and let the brand otherwise die.
JR, I hope a brand revitalization is in the works. I rescued and refinished a pair of their LS350 speakers from a chain smoker ~2015. Gorgeous speakers that have some real visual gravitas.
http://www.mcintoshcompendium.com/Compendium Docs/Speakers/PDFs/LS350.pdf
I heard that Bose makes most of it's profit on OEM car stereo, but the upscale brands don't want Bose, so McIntosh is a way in.
They should resubmit to Jaguar… 😆
Edit: already in w that ‘brand’ ha
Just my opinion/experience but aquisitions never seem to improve brands.
Agree.
One exception I can think of; Audi buying Lamborghini. Italian design, German engineering +++.
Probably a lot of truth to that.
Don't you mean Volkswagen? I'm almost positive VW owns Audi, Lamborghini, and Bugatti, as well as others.
InDIYana Event Website
Yep.
I think you are correct Ben.
My former GM bought a Bugatti. From what I hear that good looking car was in the shop for repairs more than he acrtually drove it. He now has a Porsche Panamera 4. Cool looking car.
>
He seems to really like Volkswagons.
More money than brains imho.
Audi engineered V10 and chassis, +++.
And yes VW owns many brands. German engineering and Italian design, definitely improved the Lambo brand.
GM (gov’t motors) killed Saab. Safety ahead of its time. Not everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ by I thought they were pretty unique and cool.
I always thought the SAAB 900 looked way cooler than any Volvo.
Mmmm turbo.
The designer of the Rover SD1 3500, a cool looking but unreliable 70s car modelled on the Ferrari Daytona, once said of the Volvo 740 'it will look good once they take it out of the packing crate'.
My brother in law had one of those SAABs, it was a lovely car with a great interior; unfortunately it was written off when someone tried to steal it, couldn't, and destroyed the interior. FWD and turbo made for some quirky handling at times.
I hope that Macintosh doesn't become yet another 'badge engineering' story, i.e. selling and marketing the same product under different labels at different price points.
BMC/Leyland were champions at that, selling basically the same cars as Morris, Austins, MGs and Wolseleys. So was GM, with the same car being a Pontiac, Buick, Chevrolet etc depending on the market.
With some European cars - particularly some German brands - there seems to be good engineering, but mediocre design. For example, our garage had a certain German V8 turbo in for serious repairs due to oil and coolant leaks in the centre of the 'V': great engineering to fit all the bits neatly into the space, but poor design in terms of reliability and repair cost. The five year old car needed A$7,000 of repairs, much of which was labour just to get access to the parts.
Geoff
I may regret it but I just ordered a German sports car.
So, what’s coming ?
BMW...
So, are BMW drivers self taught, or born that way….
Ha- just kidding
They make great driving cars - enjoy
Rightly or wrongly I have always thought of McIntosh like the Harley Davidson of audio. Big. Heavy. Expensive. V-twin rumble = Blue meters dancing. Cult followings. For years I lusted after a Mac amp, but I got over it. Now, they have completely lost me. They are all about “the brand”. Hell, they sell (or try to) a “light box” for $1,500. Literally, a box, that sits on the shelf or your audio rack, with a light inside, to illuminate the McIntosh logo. That’s it. Doesn’t do anything else. $1,500.
Not to go off topic too much, but we have a Harley dealership in town. The only Harley dealership in Monterey County in fact. Do they sell motorcycles? No. No motorcycles. T-shirts, leathers, mugs, key chains, etc. No bikes, just merch.
I don't own any McIntosh gear, but I've heard they are more than happy to help keep their legacy pieces running. If you crack the faceplate glass or need a replacement transformer, they still supply the parts. I'm sure they make a pretty penny on the parts, but it's going to be cheaper than buying a new comparable unit.
I hope that MO continues.
At least in Oz, BMW customer support is reportedly much better than 'other' German makes; e.g. more accepting of warranty claims and actually listening to customers.
Geoff
I had a friend who used to run an ad in the newspaper every once in a while looking for used tube amps and would pick up vintage McIntosh amps cheap and restore them. And yes, he could get any part he needed from McIntosh.