Finally found What I Wanted
 

: Decided I Needed to Go for Tube Preamp
I spent the last two days looking at the used market and I finally worked out a deal on a McIntosh C 2600. It's in like new condition. It really came down to the McIntosh, the Audio Research LS28 and the Audio Research Ref. 3. I want to thank everybody that took time to post, because I had so many parameters to work around that I'm sure it was frustrating at times. Through this experience I discovered an alternative to Audiogon called U.S. Audio Mart. It never hurts to have choices. The preamp should be arriving this week. Early Christmas Gift?

Congrats! Pix please once you have it up and running.

I will have plenty of pix.

Congrats - +1 on the photos!

Jack - congrats. A nice thing about the McIntosh compared to the AR is you can tube-roll. With the AR's 6H30 you do not have any choices. With the 12AX7 you will have a couple of dozen choices from mild ($20/tube) to wild ($300/tube).
Enjoy! :thumbsup:

Thanks Glenn, I am really getting a tube lesson these last two weeks. I had no idea that you couldn't roll 6H30's. Is there a good chart around on tube rolling? Like what is available in say 12AX7's from different manufacturers?

Jack - no chart I'm familiar with. Check the listings from all the usual suspects (The Tube Store, Doug's Tubes, Upscale Audio, Jim McShane, etc.). Most will have the same new tubes from New Sensor (Gold Lion, Tung-Sol, etc.), EH, and a few Chinese. However, all will generally have different NOS (GE, RCA, Sylvania, Raytheon and various Europen & Japanese). Lots of tube 'opinions' on places like Audio Asylum, AudioKarma, DIY. You will need to check with McIntosh to make sure about the need for matched tubes. For $5, I generally consider it worthwhile in a preamp. You will want 'quiet' tubes in the phono-section, especially if you are listening to speakers with a 90db or greater efficiency.

Edit: If you call, either Jon at the Tube Store or Kevin Deal at Upscale can generally give you a good run-down on their thoughts about which tubes in your C2500. Both are very knowledgeable, though Kevin will be Kevin. So is Jim McShane, but I'm not sure how 'up to date' Jim is on newer gear like your C2500, as he is considerably more of an 'old hand'.

Well, my preamp arrived, and I still had to wait for the cables that I ordered. Here are some early pictures.

Very cool!

Looking good!