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McIntosh Turntable Poll

Courtesy of jweiss over at VinylAsylum --



"We have to design what? A turntable? You've got to be kidding?"

"Nope. Really. Here's the email. Corporate wants a turntable. A McIntosh turntable. Got to look McIntosh. They want it yesterday."

"How the hell do you design a turntable? That's ancient technology. I only know how to do stuff with printed circuit boards inside."

"Don't sweat it. Pretend its like all the rest of the stuff we design. Just pretend its an amp, but its got a turntable on top. Easy, right?"

"Yeah, I got it. No problem. I can knock this out by 5pm. I can still keep our trademark glowing blue and green lights, right?"

"Sure. Throw a meter on the front, while you are at it..."
--------

Fly on the wall report of McIntosh design team confronted with TT project.
 
masterlu said:
It hurts to look at, & I love everything Mac; well that is till now...
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Lu, an unconditionnal mac fan, you surprised me on that one ;)


Jem666 said:
give McIntosh some credit for thinking out of the box
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:lmao: maybe they shouldn't have thought about putting the table out of the box...

The mac "touch" on their projector was fine, but some inspiration was missing for this TT.
And I thought that putting the video screen on the AP instead of the VP was weird :scratch2:
 
I applaud Mc for their attempt at a turntable but seriously the styling is so far off base for my taste even if it was the best sounding table ever I could not get past its looks.

With that said I am still curious is it a direct drive or belt. Sprung or rigid. How about the tonearm. What sort of design is it.
 
That looks like a big Clearaudio platter with a belt going around it to me.

If it is bassed on a Clearaudio table that would make it a rigid design.

Victor
 
I'll always side with sound and performance over aesthetics on audio equipment but I have to comment that this is by far the gaudiest product to come out of Binghamton in a long time. It's ok to use styling cues from existing products but using an amplifier chassis for a turntable base suggests laziness and lack of imagination from the McIntosh industrial design team. They should consult with their Denon counterparts who know how to design and build a great looking and performing turntable.
 
Lets Give Mac Some positive feedback on the design

If the dials and the meter were on a horizontal plane as opposed to a vertical plane It would be a completely different animal. I also agree that the platter would be more aesthetically pleasing if it was black.
 
Yes, I applaud them also for releasing one, but they should have taken some ques from the other mfg.

I love Mac, but.... :twak::twak: :rant:
 
Is it just me or does that arm look like they crowbar'd it off of an old Dual 1019?

As to (horizontal) meters on tt's... y'all may recall that Pioneer had one in the waning days of 1970's "silver-era" hi-fi.

EDIT: I have to think this is a joke by McIntosh; don't you?
 
Well it does look a bit odd, but let’s give Mc the benefit of the doubt. I’m really interested in the engineering. Want to know more about the suspension and the tone arm (9, 10 or 12 in)?

Although the Mc packaging is not very elegant, there appear to be similarities with the Brinkmann LagGrange (massive glass platter and tonearm is similar looking ? – hard to tell from the posted photo)

This was the direction I was hoping mc would go http://www.brinkmann-usa.com/lagrangeturntable.php
 
I saw many dealers placing orders for the new MT10 TT at the Mc Booth yesterday. I guess some people have faith in Mc...
 
Hmm...as one in a design profession I see some pretty basic design flaws with the layout (2D and 3D). I certainly cannot argue any technical points, but the Design Police need to get back to the drawing board on this TT. Sorry folks.

I've always felt that the design of a TT is a perfect opportunity to punctuate the design of a system (like an exclamation point). To that end, the cabinet and enclosure IMHO could be a radical departure from the overall design aesthetic of a particular company's line(s). I think that McIntosh could produce a stunning (design and function) TT with the "bones" of a McIntosh, but without the slavish duplication of their typical cabinet/meter enclosure. If this design is for real, I think that McIntosh is missing a golden opportunity to make a unique design statement, rather than the corporate status quo.

I would be happy to offer my design suggestions, if McIntosh is interested. I can get to sketching, right away. :yes:
 
Going out on a limb, many turntables tend to look the same. I'm glad McIntosh took a different design approach. From the single photo, this turntable seems to fall somewhere between odd duck and old school classic. I'm leaning more toward old school classic.

Remember when the first Bangle-designed BMW hit the streets, everyone criticized for being too different. Not only have BMW sales risen dramatically, but in only a few years other car manufacturers are copying the design theme ad nauseum.

The Marantz table looks fine, but moreover it looks like an obviously rebadged Clearaudio Emotion. This new McIntosh might use Clearaudio parts, but at least the design is unique. I'm eager to learn more about the dustcover, tonearm and other design elements.

wajobu said:
...I think that McIntosh is missing a golden opportunity to make a unique design statement, rather than the corporate status quo.
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In the final analysis, Wajobu may have nailed it with his statement.
 
My god, that platter makes me think of a cartoon stack of pancakes. It actually looks like a parody of the classic Mac 'look'.

Not everything has to look like a Mac amp - imagine if they used the same philosophy with their speakers??!!
 
It is certainly high on the bling factor. Alot of the new products from McIntosh could hardly be called conservative. Look at all the globe lights on the MC2KW and the green tubes in the C220 and C1000.
 
Yeah, unfortunately McIntosh has become more and more fixated on the bling factor in recent years. There are more than enough gaudy products from other AV manufacturers. I don't see why McIntosh should try to emulate them.
 
Satchmo said:
Going out on a limb, many turntables tend to look the same. I'm glad McIntosh took a different design approach. From the single photo, this turntable seems to fall somewhere between odd duck and old school classic. I'm leaning more toward old school classic.

Remember when the first Bangle-designed BMW hit the streets, everyone criticized for being too different. Not only have BMW sales risen dramatically, but in only a few years other car manufacturers are copying the design theme ad nauseum.
Click to expand...

Bangles original designs still look like turds, well turds with creases and flame surfacing anyway. That is why he had to change them pronto. The Z4 is selling about as well as a waterproof sponge.

I'm sorry. I am all for new fnagles design, going out on a limb but this is exactly what Mc has not done. Putting a wonky platter on a square bucket is neither innovative not good linking. :thumbsdn: It shows an obsession to keep the mc look without realising what the important aspects of mc design are. Screen printed glass plates, fine. Black and silver, fine.

My Avid TT has never felt so safe!
 
I expected something that looked like a black & blue thorens, or maybe even a clearaudio. I didn't expect something that looked like a Mcamp with white bucket on it and a plastic looking tonearm on it that they stole from an 80's all in one BPC system.

they could at least have tried to make it look like a turntable IMHO...

so, if this is the tt, then i'll have a clearaudio or a rega please...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.
 
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