McIntosh -- good for show, not for sound, says dealer

They haven’t used point to point wiring since the invention of the printed circuit board. 

I have observed that in this hifi hobby so many peeps have really odd ideas of what good quality is in equipment.

@troidelover1499 ,99% of solid state gear regardless of price uses PCB.  FYI, not everyone embraces tubes.  What high quality equipment do you have?

"real audiophiles...know it doesn’t sound that good"...

Sounds like some people want to gatekeep what a "real audiophile" is when the term is based on sound preference. To push that exclusivity is pointless because all you have are a bunch of farts chasing what their own idea of "good sound" is while arguing a point that isn't really wrong or right. It is a stupid statement so I wouldn't even bother with entertaining the OCD guy's input because it is like saying what is the best guitar, car, recording console etc...

From observation, Macs appear overpriced to folks who can't afford it much of the time which I find baffling since that drives much of the vitriol against a brand that holds its value well AND sounds good.

However Macintosh does appeal to a certain demographic; my friends and I call it the Harley Davidson of hi fi.

Good luck having a Harley go without servicing as long as a Mac does. The comparison is one i've heard before but not accurate given the build and reliability of Macs.

I don’t get the McIntosh hate.... I can’t understand why people say McIntosh sounds flat, or like someone put a wet blanket over their speakers.

Some people have hearing that is less sensitive than they'd like to admit. Couple that with the subjective nature of sound quality - you've got a recipe for an argument topic that has NO end.