As a former owner of a complete high end McIntosh system, including the C1000 preamp, I can say that the sonic signature of Mac is generally rounded images and a warmer presentation. Until I heard D'Agostino, Plinius, Pass Labs, Wells Audio, Merrill Audio and others, I thought Mac was among the best. I believe it is now a step behind those brands and others. I cannot comment on Parasound as I've only heard them once in a system that sounded quite nice. Despite all of the above, Mac ss for some reason, is a perfect partner for B&W speakers, especially the higher end speakers. This is only my humble opinion.
I especially like Plinius and Pass labs as they are both more forthright and transparent than Mac but not at all fatiguing. Krell made some excellent (and some not so excellent pieces). But since Dan D'agostino left, I haven't paid much attention to the brand.
As for the looks of Macs---I've always loved that look, but the price you pay is on the technology side and the sound side.
I especially like Plinius and Pass labs as they are both more forthright and transparent than Mac but not at all fatiguing. Krell made some excellent (and some not so excellent pieces). But since Dan D'agostino left, I haven't paid much attention to the brand.
As for the looks of Macs---I've always loved that look, but the price you pay is on the technology side and the sound side.