Why the hate for mcintosh amps?

I haven’t tried the Wavvac gear. I heard that they are pretty darn good. I just can’t part ways with my Cary Audio SLP05 Preamp with the Ultimate Upgrade, Cardis Wiring and tube rolled. It is dual chassis. Love it. Here is a review of the unit.
https://www.stereophile.com/tubepreamps/906cary/index.html

As regards to the Boulder, mine put out heat but nothing like the Krell. My biggest issue was pairing with my speakers. I will let you know how the CH Precision A1.5 stacks up to Boulder. 

Also, more expensive never means better. Look at what Corvette is doing to the auto industry now with their mid engine vehicle or what Dodge Viper Acer did to 10 out of 13 track records, lol. You never know, lol!

Compared to CH Precision, Mac gear is dirt cheap.

“McIntosh are like elephants, nice to look at, but, I wouldn’t want to have one.”
W. C. Fields 

100% agree with the theme of enjoying what you have. It is hard to stay in the present long enough to appreciate the moment and audiophiles (myself included) seem to often have our feelers out for the next upgrade.

Love my Mac tube gear, sourced with VPI Aries 3, delivered with Magico A5's, supported by a B&W DB3D.