I have never owned a Mac (it's on my bucket list though) but have heard a few of their integrated amps at various dealers and friends systems in the last few years. The thing is that they definitely sound very good on their own. But whenever I compared them to what else I could get in the market, I always found another brand that offered the same or higher sound and build quality at a much lower price point. I feel that with McIntosh you're paying a substantial premium for pedigree or pride in ownership, or whatever you want to call it. This is important to a lot of audiophiles, nothing wrong with it.
So my problem is not that I don't like the way they sound, just that they are asking for more than they offer in today's market. Also, I was a little disappointed with the build quality, e.g. compared to Luxman -- the knobs, buttons, and overall appearance doesn't justify the asking price.
Of course, this is purely my opinion and admittedly subjective. I'm sure diehard fans will disagree :)
