For 13 years I owned a C-1 as well as Carver's 1.5t amp. I would heartedly recommend the SimAudio I-5 over the c-1 & Mac combo. Carver's equipment looks good but that's about all it was good for. Although, I found the sonic-holography feature fun especially for 2-channel home theatre.
And the vintage Mac certainly won't get you any closer to state-of-the-art sonics.
But if you're considering a SimAudio I-5 for several grand, then I'd highly recommend you consider the Odyssey Stratos amplifier for $1000 new (see odysseyaudio.com website) and then a preamp for about $1000 also. The Stratos amp is one of the best solid state amps in the business and with a decent preamp, you'll have even better sonics than a more expensive (?) I-5.
-IMO
And the vintage Mac certainly won't get you any closer to state-of-the-art sonics.
But if you're considering a SimAudio I-5 for several grand, then I'd highly recommend you consider the Odyssey Stratos amplifier for $1000 new (see odysseyaudio.com website) and then a preamp for about $1000 also. The Stratos amp is one of the best solid state amps in the business and with a decent preamp, you'll have even better sonics than a more expensive (?) I-5.
-IMO