McIntosh returning to the car audio system game with new Grand Cherokee L

[MarcT]

I have to admit, this new Grand Cherokee L looks fantastic. With the McIntosh audio system, you can even see the iconic McIntosh power meters on your display screen! https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2021/01/07/mcintosh-to-partner-with-jeep-grand-cherokee/

 

[DMill]

Im a marketing/ad guy. It’s a really bold move for McIntosh I think. The work they are doing to promote it is really nice. We see a lot of mixed feelings about Mc on ASR but hardly anyone can say it’s terrible gear. Overpriced? Sure. But not bad. I really hope the brand doesn’t go the way of Bose and their principles be diluted by profit. But I suppose that is the way of things. I wonder what others think about this venture. So put a a Mc into a $100k Jeep and this is what you get…

 

[Dialectic]

Im a marketing/ad guy. It’s a really bold move for McIntosh I think. The work they are doing to promote it is really nice. We see a lot of mixed feelings about Mc on ASR but hardly anyone can say it’s terrible gear. Overpriced? Sure. But not bad. I really hope the brand doesn’t go the way of Bose and their principles be diluted by profit. But I suppose that is the way of things. I wonder what others think about this venture. So put a a Mc into a $100k Jeep and this is what you get…

Paying for McIntosh home audio gear is like paying $100,000 for a Jeep product.

Bose never diluted their principles, which have always been to make products that blast mediocre sound all over the place and build a portfolio of questionable patents.

 

[Voo]

car audio such a shit show....proper dsp can make a 50 dollar speaker setup sound ok....I am all for a great user interface tho....will pay thousands for...

 

[DonH56]

My wife got a Wagoneer with a McIntosh sound system late last year (2021). She loves it, though the sound system was not her highest priority.

 

[Dal1as]

I have the GCL Overland with the McIntosh system and it's actually pretty nice.

The meters are just an app on the nav screen that I never use.

 

[anmpr1]

We see a lot of mixed feelings about Mc on ASR but hardly anyone can say it’s terrible gear.

Well... I guess they've got that going for them, then.

 

[fpitas]

Well... I guess they've got that going for them, then.

The old saying "damning with faint praise" comes to mind.

 

[FrantzM]

I noticed it on a commercial yesterday watching NFL games... I had more than a chuckle...

It is however a dangerous and inescapable trend, these gigantic screen in cars that invite you to look at them... And take your eyes off the road ...

Peace.

 

[Dialectic]

I noticed it on a commercial yesterday watching NFL games... I had more than a chuckle...

It is however a dangerous and inescapable trend, these gigantic screen in cars that invite you to look at them... And take your eyes off the road ...

Peace.

Yes, I hate it. Prefer driving my wife's old screenless Lexus to my new, comparatively zippy Subaru with a huge infotainment screen.

 

[anmpr1]

It is however a dangerous and inescapable trend, these gigantic screen in cars that invite you to look at them... And take your eyes off the road ...

If it was only the screen, it wouldn't be so bad. At least if you could turn it off. But unfortunately it's to the point that cabin functions are being routed through touch screens, using an oftentimes convoluted menu tree-- making even the simplest functions impossible to easily access. Manufacturers do it because it's a lot cheaper to have an electronic tablet controlling stuff, than an actual knob, push button, switch, or slider.

 

[MarcT]

If it was only the screen, it wouldn't be so bad. At least if you could turn it off. But unfortunately it's to the point that cabin functions are being routed through touch screens, using an oftentimes convoluted menu tree-- making even the simplest functions impossible to easily access. Manufacturers do it because it's a lot cheaper to have an electronic tablet controlling stuff, than an actual knob, push button, switch, or slider.

I just looked at a Lincoln Nautilus and the only way to turn on the heated steering wheel is through the touch screen. In fairness to Lincoln, both their Corsair and Aviator models do have a direct access switch for the heated steering wheel. I much prefer direct access buttons to having to go through a menu on the screen.

 

[Andretti60]

Yes, I hate it. Prefer driving my wife's old screenless Lexus to my new, comparatively zippy Subaru with a huge infotainment screen.

What I like in my wife Subaru is ApplePlay, that my relatively older Lexus doesn’t have. But I am an old school driver, eyes on the road besides a fast glance to the dashboard. Anyhow, I put Alpine speakers on the Lexus, for less than thousand dollars I believe I have an audio quality that can compete with the Grand Cherokee especially because the Lexus IS amazingly quite, I rented a jeep once and I was not impressed to say the least.

 

[scottmckinney67]

Im a marketing/ad guy. It’s a really bold move for McIntosh I think. The work they are doing to promote it is really nice. We see a lot of mixed feelings about Mc on ASR but hardly anyone can say it’s terrible gear. Overpriced? Sure. But not bad. I really hope the brand doesn’t go the way of Bose and their principles be diluted by profit. But I suppose that is the way of things. I wonder what others think about this venture. So put a a Mc into a $100k Jeep and this is what you get…

Overpriced like the Jeep. Good combo.

 

[MarcT]

Overpriced like the Jeep. Good combo.

I'm not sure the Grand Cherokee or Wagoneer are any more over priced than most other vehicles with which they compete these days. They are pretty nice, from what I can tell.

 

[anmpr1]

Overpriced like the Jeep. Good combo.

Jeep prices are orbiting around Jupiter. As a prior owner of two (2-door) Wranglers (used for off-road), I will say that the Mac might be the most reliable thing in the Jeep. But maybe they've designed it so it too will break down, along with the rest of the vehicle.

I wonder if the stereo comes with "Mac Death Wobble"? Your tunes suddenly start vibrating uncontrollably, and the dealer can't ever fix the problem. LOL

Most Jeeps these days are used by petite wives to navigate the parking lots of Whole Food and Trader Joe's. Or weekend trips to the trendy downtown sidewalk café, with a designer dog. McIntosh will no doubt fit right in.

 

[fpitas]

I was never even a McIntosh fan, but this still embarrasses me

 

[scottmckinney67]

Jeep prices are orbiting around Jupiter. As a prior owner of two (2-door) Wranglers (used for off-road), I will say that the Mac might be the most reliable thing in the Jeep. But maybe they've designed it so it too will break down, along with the rest of the vehicle.

I wonder if the stereo comes with "Mac Death Wobble"? Your tunes suddenly start vibrating uncontrollably, and the dealer can't ever fix the problem. LOL

Most Jeeps these days are used by petite wives to navigate the parking lots of Whole Food and Trader Joe's. Or weekend trips to the trendy downtown sidewalk café, with a designer dog. McIntosh will no doubt fit right in.

Agreed. I like SUV's too but Jeep isn't a brand I'd consider. I have an accord hybrid as a commuter and an old nissan frontier for utility or going off road, which I pretty much never do anymore. Car prices in general are nuts these days.

 

[Dialectic]

Most Jeeps these days are used by petite wives to navigate the parking lots of Whole Food and Trader Joe's. Or weekend trips to the trendy downtown sidewalk café, with a designer dog. McIntosh will no doubt fit right in.

I actually saw a Wagoneer at Trader Joe's last weekend!

 

[GXAlan]

MCIntosh/Clarion was great quality stuff and even made it into Subaru’s in the 1990s.

What I don’t know is if Clarion is involved in the current MCIntosh products as the two companies split on good terms. It was actually Clarion who advised McIntosh to invest in the water jet for their glass panels.

They seem to advertise their LD/HP driver technology which is a

McIntosh XR250 Speaker System and LD/HP Woofer

They also have Power Guard which attenuates the volume to avoid clipping.