Having been around since 1949, the McIntosh brand has grown to become today one of the most esteemed brands in the high-end home audio/video and car audio industries. McIntosh today is owned by D&M Holdings (owned by Bain Capital), that owns an array of audio businesses such as Snell Acoustics (which has been integrated under McIntosh), Marantz and Denon.
The sound quality of McIntosh products is unquestioned. Its older tube and solid-state preamps and power amps are amongst the most sought after vintage items. Many of its products over the years, such as the C45, C200, C2200, MA6900, MC275, MC501 have received "Stereophile Recommended Class A" ratings, while some other products, such as the C46, MC402, MC2102, have been "The Absolute Sound Editors' Choice" classifications.
McIntosh entered the high-end aftermarket car audio business in 1992, after the acquisition by Clarion provided the management direction and necessary financial resources to do so. The car audio business has continued to grow even after Clarion sold McIntosh to D&M Holdings in 2003. Contrary to some rumours, McIntosh products are all made in its Binghamton, NY. This was confirmed by Charlie Randall, President, McIntosh Laboratories in an interview in 2009.
McIntosh has provided high-end OEM equipment for the Subary Legacy, Ford GT and Harley Davidson. Its aftermarket high-end car audio range includes head units, power amplifiers and speaker systems. For high-end audio enthusiasts looking for similar sound quality in their cars, McIntosh is probably one of a few aftermarket brands that have built their reputations upon high-end home audio, along with the likes of Dynaudio and Focal (JM Lab).
