Funny how I just sold my ATI AT3002 amp to a local guy who just sold his McIntosh Amp because he thought it didn't power his 4 ohms speakers well enough.
You see, his McIntosh could only output 200W into 8 ohms and also 200W into 4 ohms. He wanted the ATI AT3002 because it could output over 500W into 4 ohms.
BTW, you do know that McIntosh, Denon, Marantz were all owned by the same Japanese company - D&M Holdings?
The McIntosh 121 pre-pro also has Audyssey XT, like the Denon and Marantz AVR and pre-pros.
For example, the Denon X2300 (on sale brand new for $415) also has Audyssey XT.
Now the new McIntosh MX-122 pre-pro has Audyssey XT32, which is also featured in the Denon X3300, which is on sale for $599 brand new.
BTW, nobody looks down on anyone who spends money. It's your money, your life.
Some of us have spent quite a bit of money over the years. We've been there, done it.