I agree that McIntosh is quite different from most other SS amps and if you like it, little else will do. I suppose that is why they are the oldest hifi manufacturer in the world - they always retained part of the market somehow.
McIntosh SS will appeal to people who like tube amplifiers. For people who like the "classic" SS sound, they will be surprised at how McIntosh amps sound, and thus will probably not like them. Human judgement is solely based on personal familiarity.
Having said that, I have yet to hear a good SS amp that can beat a good tube amp for the reproduction of mids and highs. The McIntosh SS amps come as close as I have heard but still not quite there. But then again, this is only valid from my point of view.
I find that "realistic weight and texture" mainly comes from system synergy and design rather than a single amplifier. There are some bright systems where the McIntosh would have been the one with realistic weight and texture. It is all relative afterall.
Although, I have to admit that I have never heard a stereo that could reproduce a live production exactly so those comparisons may not be very meaningful anyway. They are mere objective details which are always very difficult to reproduce whether you speak of cooking, painting, hifi, or whatever. Not to mention they can sometimes overshadow the bigger picture.
Recreating the emotion and the energy of a live production, however, IS possible with a very good stereo and that is what I strive for. To that end, the McIntosh SS amps overall are excellent at conveying this type of information IMO. So are most tube amps and vinyl rigs.
Arthur
