Give the dealer a break, there are many audiophiles that feel that Mcintosh products are good but not leading the field in terms of ultimate transparency.
If you look at the ET 2 parts quality and design topology it is an impressive piece of hardware. CJ feels that balanced circuits cost more and complicate the design with very little real improvement for home environments.
Also the CJ is a purist design without any embellishments which are usually found in a Mcintosh design.
Personally I would take a CJ any day of the week over a Mcintosh, I would take a CJ, BAt, or Audio Research tube amp over a Mcintosh tube amp, and I would take a Balanced Audio, or Mark Levinson solid state amplifier over a Mcintosh.
If you look at the design topology of most solid state amplifiers they are direct coupled designs, where most Mcintosh amplifiers use an auto transformer which gives the amplifier the ability to easily push power into any load however an auto transformer is not necessary if you use a big enough power supply. The upshot much a direct coupled amplifier has much greater clarity.