I have a good ear and enjoy premium sound systems. The Macintosh system is very good but doesn't rival the Bowers Wilkens or the high end Brumaster sound system from the Germans (I've had them). However, in my opinion, for the price - it does an excellent job and is worth the money. If you want the best sound you must have a great sound input. I have found Tidal (purchase he premium sound subscription) app is the best. Listen to Donald Fagan's IGY tune - this sound plays incredibly well on the Macintosh system. Tidal does the interface relatively well (but at times can be cumbersome) with Apple Car Play.
WL Jeep Forum
Welcome to WLJeepforum.com! Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Macintosh Sound System
- Thread starter JTaylor62
- Start date
GCOverland
Well-known member
Coming from a Bowers & Wilkins on my previous BMW X7, I was positively surprised by the quality of the McIntosh. It's basically on par with the 28 speaker Revel system in our Lincoln.
The ironic part is that while the Bowers & Wilkins on the BMW is indeed better, it won't help you much because as we speak, it is not available anymore - among MANY other features BMW used to offer (chip-shortage).
The ironic part is that while the Bowers & Wilkins on the BMW is indeed better, it won't help you much because as we speak, it is not available anymore - among MANY other features BMW used to offer (chip-shortage).
GCOverland
Well-known member
And yes, I agree about the source. I stream a lot using the integrated Alexa App via the vehicle's Hotspot and once in a while, listen to Sirius XM as well. The moment I switch to USB and listen to my .mp3s recorded at 320, you can already tell the potential the McIntosh really has.
GCOverland
Well-known member
I think mostly, it's just for show.
big10purdue
Well-known member
I've been a McIntosh fan my entire life and have had three amps of theirs. Im actually surprised that the equalizer has only three options. Kind of a bummer.
OK, I will admit the true "high end" Macintosh sound system (the amp one would purchase for the home) is incredible. The sound system in the new Jeeps isn't even close to the real deal. But for the money, the sound system in the GCL is great (but not phenomenal). I also previously purchased the B&O system for a $5k upgrade for a 2014 MB E class AMG. Would I do it again? No. $1k? Maybe. My point, I'm not trying to poo poo one system over another. Just simply saying, for those who have an ear for a great sound, the Macintosh is worth the money. and yes 320K bit rate is fine, but Tidal produces is a higher fidelity sound. I used to use Spotify and their premium package - they also advertise 320k, but Tidel - in my opinion blows them away. Again, if you don't the difference, spend less money and go with another music app. I am not a stock holder in Tidal.
freethinked
Well-known member
My biggest gripe is that there’s no bass on XM and a ton using USB and there’s no way to set different eq settings. I guess I will switch to using my phone and applying a peq on there.
Troglodyte
Active member
I generally tell people not to listen to other’s for sight/sound settings. It’s your ears, and, what sounds good to you might not sound good to others. As a retired flight line maintainer in the USAF, I have a degraded zone in my hearing. This causes me to look for slightly more output in a given range, but, it sounds “funny” to my kids. Play with the settings to your satisfaction so that you enjoy it
.Centering the settings should be your starting point however.
GCOverland
Well-known member
For my personal taste, the 'all in the middle' Equalizer setting on the McIntosh had a little too much bass so I increased the lows a bit, the mids twice as much and the highs a bit more. But as previously mentioned, that's a matter of taste.