These are such different integrateds, I'm curious to know why these two?
The MA6600 (which I own) has a full-featured pre-amp section replete with mono switch and tone controls (both are essential to me), wattage meters and the ability to volume match all inputs. Aesthetically, like all Macs, it's a beauty.
The STI500, by contrast, is a minimalist design with only a balance control to assist in contouring the sound and it looks like a very austere plain black box (though quite cool in it's own way). Functionally, it appears to well engineered and probably performs flawlessly. ..And, it's a ton less $$ which is certainly a good thing.
Soundwise, they probably are hard to tell apart. ..Though I have excellent hearing and a keen ear for musical nuance, I can't hear differences b/w two properly functioning modern-day amps.
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