...it all depends. I've heard Mac gear sound better than so called "State of the Art" designs. The important point is the sound that comes to your ears. Everything in a system contributes to that sound. To MY ears, Macs are very "forgiving"...which may be a good thing if speakers, amp, cables, are bright and forward...anyone, or all which may contribute to the overall sonic picture. To me, I would prefer to get components that are more faithful...its very, very difficult to put together a system with components that are trying to sing with different voices.