Interesting opinions, but I think many are missing the point as to the reasons why Mac owners have love for their gear. Although it may be a generational thing to a certain point. A quick history lesson may be in order...
In the late '50s through to the late '60s, McIntosh and Marantz were at the top of the audiophile food chain in the US, with lesser brands like Fisher competing on price, and for the 'tweakers', DIY brands like Dynaco offered a path for the rugged individualists to pursue. 'Console' audio systems (many including a TV) from RCA, Magnavox, and Zenith were the norm for most end users. Then came the Japanese invasion. Pioneer, Kenwood, Teac, and the initially gray-market Sansui gear brought in by the returning GIs were the first major import manufacturers supposedly offering the same performance as 'high end' gear at a fraction of the price. Stereo stores proliferated until it seemed there was one on every corner, many of them 'discount' outlets. The revolution had arrived... hi fi for the masses.
But that performance proved to be a mirage in many cases. As anyone who attended a McIntosh test clinic in the '70s can attest, the gap between advertised specs and actual specs could be quite wide. Enough so that the FCC finally standardized requirements for advertised specs.
My attendance at one of those clinics is what led me to purchase my first piece of Mac gear; a Mac 1900 receiver. At over twice the price (or more) of any of the import receivers, I was derided by my friends for spending 'too much' for it. But within five years, my choice looked better as virtually all of my friends had experienced failures requiring replacement.
What also happened is as the offshore competition increased, the remaining American brands moved their manufacturing offshore. One by one, until McIntosh was the sole remaining US high-end manufacturer until some new start-ups appeared (notably Bob Carver with Phase Linear. As an aside, I was there when he brought his first prototype to a Mac clinic where it promptly burned up... a issue he continued to have problems with). So in a way, McIntosh proved that there was still a market for US-built high-end gear, leading to all the current choices out there.
Being a working stiff making $5 per hour in 1971, that receiver represented a very large investment on my part. Being blue-collar, I never really had the money for new very high-end gear even as time passed and my income went up, so I always shopped for the 'best bang for the buck'. I upgraded multiple times by shopping the used market as well as select new gear (non Mac, although I did purchase a new C712 to replace my C28 that my ex could never figure out how to use...LOL).
One thing became clear as time passed; McIntosh build quality was second to none. All through the years, as my 'other' gear wore out or broke requiring replacement, my Mac gear kept working flawlessly with a few minor exceptions. What really brought it home was when I had some backlight lamp failures. Inquiring at the local Mac dealer revealed they wanted $200 each piece for labor plus parts. Not wishing (or being able to afford) to spend $600+ for my three pieces (MC2300, C28, and the 1900 doing double-duty as a second-room amp and tuner), I asked to purchase just the lamps. They refused to sell them to me 'for my protection'...
This being the pre-internet days, a on-the-ground search was needed. I pulled the lamps (all of them; if some were starting to go, the rest couldn't be far behind) and started looking for replacements. IIRC, there were seven different lamps. No luck; no one could match the numbers up. I finally found a place that couldn't match them, but had a interchange list and could substitute a different number. When I asked what the difference was, I was told that the 'standard' lamps he had were rated for a 2000 hour average life; the ones I had were 'industrial' lamps and rated for 20000 hours, or ten times longer. A trip to a industrial electronics supplier supplied me with the lamps for roughly $100 (due to minimum order quantities, I ended up with a bunch of spares...LOL). Build quality indeed!
So McIntosh's reputation as 'high end' is IMO based as much on their build quality as their sonic performance. While their iconic styling is an attraction for some (and I'll admit, I've grown to like it; it's certainly more legible than most of my 'other' gear in current use), I don't think that's what's kept them in their place. I just sold my long-unused Mac 1900 (47 years old!) recently, it still worked just like it did when new.