The obvious alternative to Sonus Faber is Franco Serblin's current lineup of speakers. They are gorgeous and IMO sound better than SFs current lineup. Given his prior relationship with SF, in some ways these are more authentic.
McIntosh is good sounding gear. I don't get why people crap on it (even some of their dealers). That said, it is not like their sound is so unique that no one else quite sounds the same or as good.
I have a customer getting great results with Franco Serblin and Luxman. Luxman and SF are extremely common matches. I personally like the sound of AVM with both brands. Someone above mentioned that SF sounds good with most amplification and it is sort of their super power. To get everything just right, system synergy meeting your personal taste is most important but that is the case with most speakers.
Full disclosure, other than AVM I carry none of the brands mentioned above. Just have spent a lot of time listening to gear.