As to caphill's point, the McIntosh HT multi-channel processors are not in the same league as their dedicated 2-channel tube preamp equipment. All the Mac processors are very nice in keeping that "Mac style" of sonic signature, but they are compromised due to the fact that the audio stages are all op-amp based. McIntosh attempts to keep their "laid back" type of sound, but have to use op amps due to size, cost and multi-channel requirements. While the McIntosh HT processors are very nice, there are definitely many options that have better resolution, attack and detail.
I'm not sure that all of the processors that caphill suggested are better. Maybe they are different, depending on what you're looking for. The Classe SSP-800 is incredibly detailed and transparent. Bryston SP3 is actually laid back in the mids/highs, but has massive bass response. The Krell 707/S1200 are awesome because of their discrete Class A analog stages, but I think they can come across a little thin/bright because it's my opinion the power supply capacitance is undersized. Datasat has massive amounts of DSP and computing power, but not sure that their analog stages are any better. Etc. Etc.