i have had both mc1000's and now own a pair of mc1201's. i would not own, use, consider, think about, come near, ponder or otherwise even dream of anything besdes mcintosh as the power source for my system!
i have components and main speakers which are not mcintosh. but, the preamp, power amps, tuner, cd player and subwoofer are all mac.
i will not even address the religious questions of the way mcintosh "sounds". sound is alot like taste - no amount of convincing or argumentation will make someone like liver and onions if they hate liver and onions! similarly, no amount of convincing or argumentation will be effective on those who either love mcintosh (like me) or those who hate it. to me, mac sounds best, period. to other, it sucks, period. i'm glad i know what i like, and have a system that makes me glad to be alive!
that's all a stereo is good for. but, that's not a small thing. :-) everyday when i go home after a long day of work, i get to listen to the best sounding stereo i've ever heard. i just hope others feel the same way about their audio systems.