i know @hilde45 personally, know him outside of this forum
i’m pretty sure he doesn’t have an opinion on mac gear from personal ownership or use, his op was to question the broader point which he just restated - as a high level educator professionally and a burgeoning hifi nerd personally, he is learning about this hobby, the people, the perspectives and attitudes they hold
i also don’t have a personal opinion on mac gear based on recent personal ownership, i haven’t owned a piece for quite some time, the brand, like all good brands, develop new products and move on, advance the gear, functionally, cosmetically and sonically to sustain success - but i know enough from 40 years dedicated to this pursuit where the brand and its products stand in the industry, with customers, and so on
as for mr ocd guy, i would hope that with (or in spite of) his disposition, business practices, commercial decisions on what he carries, and how he markets himself, that he has SOME following... the guy is trying to make a living, dunno how well he is doing at it -- as for the foundational premise @hilde45 is addressing with this thread, that ocd guy is presenting himself as the champion of those who just want pure sonic performance and not looks, frills, eye candy, i’d remind everyone that his main line of amplification is mark levinson... now THAT is truly dripping in irony (if not something much worse)...
as a useful contrast, another industry dealer is audio excellence in canada... for those who don’t know of adrian, vilip et al, i suggest you watch the following videos and others they post on youtube... to me, they are a model of class, likeability, earnestness, as well as deep knowledge (and successful salesmanship)... yes they meander a bit in their discussion, as most enthusiasts do, but i feel their content is always worth watching... to me they are a better, an alternative, and a much more successful way of handling well, just about everything...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nB4N_dfqAo