The style is very polarizing. I absolutely can't stand it, but I know some people who absolutely can't get enough of it.
It's sort of funny: I like the old, '60s, early 70's era McIntosh but not the new ones nearly so much.
Don't know if you've notice but the components of that era had
all-silver knobs, today's and going back a couple of decades they have had
black & silver knobs. The esthetic decline, IMO, began around the time they went to the latter, black & silver type. It isn't just the knobs, of course, but they are a factor in themselves.
Consider the original C22 preamp
versus the current C22, (sometimes referred to as 'Mk V'): just not as elegant to my eye ...
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