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I remember being wowed by McIntosh gear as a little kid in some store.
Wow! I was just visiting Audio Etc. here in Dayton OH over the weekend and they have a brand new room with the system shown in the first video clip (the first pair of line array speakers shown in the video and a similar rack packed with green/blue lighted amps, pre's, etc.). The room even looked similar - it's got the same carpet!The 2 salesmen were busy with customers and I felt as though I had the place to myself. I was wandering thru the store (which is quite big - at least 8-10 large rooms) and I heard what sounded like a live jazz band around a corner and down a corridor. The drums and cymbals sounded like someone was playing in the same building. I could tell from a distance what a large room I was approaching and I fully expect to see a dozen people watching some drummer setting up on a small stage doing a sound check. To my amazement the room was empty, except for a couch, 2 MASSIVE line array speakers, and a rack of blue/green glowing electronics (everything was McIntosh, except the couch). My jaw was on the floor. I've been to a few places and I've heard some systems,,, but nothing like this. I took a seat in the sweet spot on the couch and took it in. It had to be loud, yet I wasn't being assaulted and even though I was much closer to the 'source' now, the drums and cymbals weren't over-powering. The music was BIG and W-I-D-E. And it had (((De p tH)))! Holy Shit. This is amazing! I listened. There were definitely drums. And percussion. Electric guitar and bass. Highs reached the stratosphere, but not painfully so. Bass was extended but didn't vibrate the room like a sub would. A female vocalist - a black woman singing something that reminded me of Dark Side of the Moon. She was mostly doing ooh, ahs, and sounding very emotional. I could 'see' that she was standing at the mic eight feet in front of me. Jazz isn't really my thing, but this had my hypnotized. Finally, I started taking inventory of exactly what equipment was making this wonderful sound. The 2 big (and I do mean BIG) speakers, obviously. The other equipment was harder to decipher (I couldn't tell what was actually being used and what wasn't). Obviously 2 (maybe 4 - maybe 6) big monoblocks. Something with green, glowing tubes - the pre would be my guess. A CD player (possibly SACD, couldn't be sure). I guessed the system cost a cool $250K and as I was leaving the salesman confirmed that it was $220K. It was very impressive. I'm not sure if I'm glad for the experience or if I was content in my ignorant state beforehand. My system at home is in the (apparently modest) $6000-$8000 range, so something approaching a QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS isn't even a glimmer in my eye unless I starting playing the lottery. For the record, I think the speakers are what really caught my attention. Not so much the bulk or forboding size, but the effortlessness. I realize everything in the chain contributed to this, but... all of those drivers made a lot of music and didn't seem to work hard at it.Now I'm torn. Should I save my money.... or buy lottery tickets? Good grief.
wOw! whats teh total cost of equipment in that room.... lol