How old were you when you got your first McIntosh?

I was 37. I've been back into audio for 8 years or so. My system had developed, and I needed a new amplifier. I enjoyed my McIntosh amplifier enough that I soon got a preamp to compliment it.
 
First "discovered" McIntosh in 1964 (at age 20). Drooled on dealers' carpets for 30 years. Could not afford even used McIntosh gear until late 50s (son out of college, married, & working with me). Now, at age 73 I have nineteen McIntosh units, with #20 (early moving coil cartridge) coming from Ebay. Still lusting after more (if I can find an excuse for buying!).
 
First "discovered" McIntosh in 1964 (at age 20). Drooled on dealers' carpets for 30 years. Could not afford even used McIntosh gear until late 50s (son out of college, married, & working with me). Now, at age 73 I have nineteen McIntosh units, with #20 (early moving coil cartridge) coming from Ebay. Still lusting after more (if I can find an excuse for buying!).
I'm 70. I have eight pieces and only really use three. My wife keeps reminding me that she doesn't want to dump them for ten cents on the dollar when I'm gone. (She has absolutely no interest in audio. She's a TV person). They are also starting to spread out over the house just for a place to put them.
 
First "discovered" McIntosh in 1964 (at age 20). Drooled on dealers' carpets for 30 years. Could not afford even used McIntosh gear until late 50s (son out of college, married, & working with me). Now, at age 73 I have nineteen McIntosh units, with #20 (early moving coil cartridge) coming from Ebay. Still lusting after more (if I can find an excuse for buying!).
A lot of us can relate to this!!
 
(She has absolutely no interest in audio. She's a TV person)

If only I had a dollar for each time I've read (or heard) this, I could afford ALL the Mac gear I want!
 
First "discovered" McIntosh in 1964 (at age 20). Drooled on dealers' carpets for 30 years. Could not afford even used McIntosh gear until late 50s (son out of college, married, & working with me). Now, at age 73 I have nineteen McIntosh units, with #20 (early moving coil cartridge) coming from Ebay. Still lusting after more (if I can find an excuse for buying!).

I think the idea of exposure is interesting. Instead of getting a car at 16, I spent all of my money on the most expensive stereo system I understood. It was the highest end Sony system my local Best Buy sold. I already owned as many big speakers as I had been able to save up for through high school yard sales.

My turntable was the plastic crap common around 1995, but I protected it with my life.

If we ended up here, I doubt it was by accident.
 
I was 25. I was at a local thrift store in the early 90's looking for records and someone just dropped off a MC-240 and MX-110. They looked almost new. I did not know what they were but knew of McIntosh name and the build quality looked expensive.
I was able to get them for less than $50. I was on my motorcycle (CBR 900RR) at the time and placed both pieces laying on top of each other resting on the gas tank, elbows tucked in lol. There was a McIntosh dealer (Century Stereo) about a mile down the street and I took them directly over to them. Everything checked out except a few small tubes. Needless to say I sold all my Krell gear the next day to a friend, I was bitten by the tube bug.
 
I was 25. I was at a local thrift store in the early 90's looking for records and someone just dropped off a MC-240 and MX-110. They looked almost new. I did not know what they were but knew of McIntosh name and the build quality looked expensive.
I was able to get them for less than $50. I was on my motorcycle (CBR 900RR) at the time and placed both pieces laying on top of each other resting on the gas tank, elbows tucked in lol. There was a McIntosh dealer (Century Stereo) about a mile down the street and I took them directly over to them. Everything checked out except a few small tubes. Needless to say I sold all my Krell gear the next day to a friend, I was bitten by the tube bug.
Wow!
 
I was 25. I was at a local thrift store in the early 90's looking for records and someone just dropped off a MC-240 and MX-110. They looked almost new. I did not know what they were but knew of McIntosh name and the build quality looked expensive.
I was able to get them for less than $50. I was on my motorcycle (CBR 900RR) at the time and placed both pieces laying on top of each other resting on the gas tank, elbows tucked in lol. There was a McIntosh dealer (Century Stereo) about a mile down the street and I took them directly over to them. Everything checked out except a few small tubes. Needless to say I sold all my Krell gear the next day to a friend, I was bitten by the tube bug.
Wow. I once purchased a MAC 1900 for $35 at an estate sale, but this deal of yours was far more lucrative. I hope you still have those.
 
Wow. I once purchased a MAC 1900 for $35 at an estate sale, but this deal of yours was far more lucrative. I hope you still have those.

I still have them. If fact I have two MC-240's running them as mono blocks. I got the other MC-240 a few years later from an older scruffy mind engineer. He came into my friends used HiFi store (HiFi Cents) in Santa Clara, he stated he wanted to
sell off a few items. Once he stated the mid fi items he had for sale nobody was interested, however I thought why not and followed him over to his house. He had tons and tons of gear in every room, mostly low to mid fi. I noticed in the garage in the corner was a bench full of McIntosh amps. He sold me one MC-240 for $200. Yes, he knew the value of the amplifier but really liked the idea of someone being so excited about tubes. Most of the other McIntosh amps he had were used for testing and measuring he stated and was told to throw them out decades ago by his employer but he kept a a lot of them. I came into my friends HiFi store the next day with the MC-240, he sure wished he didn't brush the guy off. By the way the gentleman who sold me the amp was one of the engineers who worked on the heat tiles for the reentry space vehicles.
 
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