McIntosh MC402 or MC501's for Totem Mani-2

I have the mc402. I notice a lot of people buy the 402 and upgrade to the 501s. I think they want the monoblocks and the looks. You might think about it from an aesthetic viewpoint before buying. I'm not planning on upgrading to the 501s myself. The only advantage I see is that a a 501 setup might be lighter to move than the 402. You can't believe how heavy the 402 is until you get it in your house and try to move it around!

Actually most posts in the audiokarma Mc forum I've read say the difference is nil to slightly noticeable.

You have to look at the mentality of the guys on there. A lot of them are running several Mc Amps in a HT system. I mean who puts together a system with 3 Mc501s on the front channels and more Mc Amps on the rears. These are not exactly audiogon types. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not exactly your audiophile crowd. Read the threads and you'll see what I mean. Of course there's some diehard McIntosh mostly 2-channel tube types but...

Of course the 1.2KW guys say the exact same thing after "upgrading" from 501s. Come on do you really think the 1.2KW's are going to be better from an audiophile standpoint? But you'll find everyone saying so who's dropped the coin on them. At some point with all that power you begin to lose nuance. Where you draw the line is up to you.

In any case I'd recommend listening to both at your local Mc dealer if that's possible. Mine advised that the mc402 had better synergy with Focals than the mc501s. I thought the 501s sounded good but so does the mc402. Either one will have good resale.