Not having any McIntosh products ever so I can't comment on those, I recently bought a CODA 0.7x preamp and after about 100-hours of break in, boy it sure is terrific ! Everything that was said above about CODA is true. I replaced a Pass-Labs XP-22 with it and I was concerned that it wouldn't be as good but, in my opinion, and my listening, it definitely is better for me. I have a CODA #16 being built/tested right now so I can't wait to hear the combination of the two in my system.
Good luck with your amp search !

