I have the clearaudio balanced reference preamp and I'm very happy with it. I have not heard the Mcintosh so I cannot comment there....it may depend on what you're pairing the preamps with, can you let us know what turntable you're using?
clearaudio reference balanced vs mcintosh c-2300
clearaudio reference balanced phono preamplifier vs mcintosh phono section, what is the better, your opinions please