I have owned a number of Mc peices for the past 12 or so years. I can't say I am an audiophile per se, but I do love
music. I love to hear it at it's best in reproduction for the limits of MY budget. I belive that my system sounds as goos as it can given the limitations of the room. I feel that I have made an investment in good gear. The Mc gear in my systme can be topped in performance for the same money, but I feel it's durable as well. It will sound that good in ten years or more. I think you get what you pay for with McIntosh and it can be considered "high end" for it's price point. I am sad to see it in "mid-line" stores, but I lay that at the distributor's feet. They get so anxious to place an order and collect a commission that they don't hold out for higher end shops. All the years I have done business here on AudioGon I have watched that the Mc gear holds it's value. There must be a demand.
All just my opinion and experience of course, no contradiction intended. 2 pennies on the counter..