"Bret Ludwig" wrote in message
oups.com...

McIntosh amplifiers in the solid state era-and some of the tube ones
too- are harsh sounding at very low levels. There are a lot of things
that are ridiculous about the way Mc builds amps today, but their
buyers like them that way.

More than likely Bret is actually complaining about the fact that these amps
have good frequency response and low noise and distortion. Golden ears also
complain this way about CD players. Tubed amps are generally noisier and
have poorer frequency response. The extra noise shows up in low level
listening.