Thanks for the welcome, Masterlu, and for the monoblock comment, Formerly YB-2.
In my case, it isn't the extra lump in the rack. I have plenty of room. I just want to fully evaluate an "upgrade" that is essentially the last amp upgrade on my primary system. 300 or so watts is a happy place for my current speakers & space. The potential speaker upgrades I'm considering on this path (ATC, PMC, possibly Magico or M-L Summit X) all have a 300W sweet spot as well. I don't want to chase the last 0.1% but do want serious reliability. My Belles and my Rogers have survived 30+ years just as they came out of production, so that's the benchmark I'm using. I've seen MC601s pop up second-hand for reasonable money, but they are just too damn big.
Running a pair of MC275s has also crossed my mind, but I prefer solid state amps and tube preamps when going that route. I'd had a C2300 paired with the MC302 and the combination was magical. That said, I don't have a lot of free time and the warm-up period on the C2300 was just too long. Compromising with the C50 was the only realistic alternative and has been totally satisfactory for several years.
An audition would be the ideal way to go, but I've not yet found a Mc dealer that has MC301s set up in my area (North Central OH). Paragon is the closest WOM location and that is a hike not well suited to a casual audition. Hence the search for community input.
TIA for anything further!
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