#1
|
||||
|
||||
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?
__________________
Speakers........Dynaudio Contour 1.8 Mk II Amp...............Pass Labs X150.5 PreAmp..........McIntosh C2600 Sources..........Music Hall MMF 9.3 Walnut w/ Goldring Eroica LX MC Cartridge Phono Pre...…..Sutherland Insight CD Player Rotel RCD-1072 Record Cleaning Machine...….Okki Nokki DAC................Bryston BDA-3 Headphones.....Drop + Dan Clark Audio Ether CX / Sennheiser HD-660S Headphone Amp.....Bryston BHA-1 Cables....Amp to preamp - Morrow MA4 Preamp to DAC - Morrow MA4 Preamp to Headphone Amp - Morrow MA2 |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
Congrats! Pix please once you have it up and running.
__________________
Schiit URD CD Transport > Schiit Yggdrasil Analog 2 DAC > Schiit Loki Max EQ > Bryston BP-26 Preampamplifier > Schiit Vidar Power Amp > B & W 805D + JL Audio E112 subwoofers (x2); Power- Shunyata Venom 16; ADD-Powr Symphony Pro & Eau2's; Equitech Son of Q; Cabling- Wireworld IC, Synergistic Research SC, Shunyata PC. |
#3
|
||||
|
||||
I will have plenty of pix.
__________________
Speakers........Dynaudio Contour 1.8 Mk II Amp...............Pass Labs X150.5 PreAmp..........McIntosh C2600 Sources..........Music Hall MMF 9.3 Walnut w/ Goldring Eroica LX MC Cartridge Phono Pre...…..Sutherland Insight CD Player Rotel RCD-1072 Record Cleaning Machine...….Okki Nokki DAC................Bryston BDA-3 Headphones.....Drop + Dan Clark Audio Ether CX / Sennheiser HD-660S Headphone Amp.....Bryston BHA-1 Cables....Amp to preamp - Morrow MA4 Preamp to DAC - Morrow MA4 Preamp to Headphone Amp - Morrow MA2 |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
Congrats - +1 on the photos!
__________________
Sources: Vinyl: Clearaudio Innovation Wood turntable with 9" Universal tonearm, Da Vinci V2 cartridge, Stillpoints SS & Stillpoints clamp, McIntosh MVP 901, Apple Mac mini via Benchmark DAC 1, Aurender N100C via Schiit Yggdrasil Control: McIntosh C1100, Mcintosh MX151 Power: Mcintosh MC2301s (front), McIntosh MC501 (center), Mcintosh MC402 (rear) Speakers: Sonus Faber Amati Futura (front and back), SF Vox center Power/connections: PS Audio Power Port receptacles, RGPC 400 pro (2) WireWorld interconnects and speaker cable |
#5
|
||||
|
||||
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!
__________________
Glenn... Canton Reference 9 Clearaudio SM Pro Focal Bathys JLA 10" Dominion Kuzma Stabi S w/MC & MM Magnepan 1,7i McIntosh MA8950 & MR88 Oppo 203 Roon Nucleus Rose Hifi RS150B Shunyata Gemini-4 Sony ST-A6B, TA-F6B, ST-J75 & PS-X75 Sorane SA1.2 & TA-1L Stillpoints LP1v2 WW Pt, Au & Ag |
#6
|
||||
|
||||
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?
__________________
Speakers........Dynaudio Contour 1.8 Mk II Amp...............Pass Labs X150.5 PreAmp..........McIntosh C2600 Sources..........Music Hall MMF 9.3 Walnut w/ Goldring Eroica LX MC Cartridge Phono Pre...…..Sutherland Insight CD Player Rotel RCD-1072 Record Cleaning Machine...….Okki Nokki DAC................Bryston BDA-3 Headphones.....Drop + Dan Clark Audio Ether CX / Sennheiser HD-660S Headphone Amp.....Bryston BHA-1 Cables....Amp to preamp - Morrow MA4 Preamp to DAC - Morrow MA4 Preamp to Headphone Amp - Morrow MA2 |
#7
|
||||
|
||||
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'.
__________________
Glenn... Canton Reference 9 Clearaudio SM Pro Focal Bathys JLA 10" Dominion Kuzma Stabi S w/MC & MM Magnepan 1,7i McIntosh MA8950 & MR88 Oppo 203 Roon Nucleus Rose Hifi RS150B Shunyata Gemini-4 Sony ST-A6B, TA-F6B, ST-J75 & PS-X75 Sorane SA1.2 & TA-1L Stillpoints LP1v2 WW Pt, Au & Ag Last edited by Formerly YB-2; 11-21-2021 at 10:44 PM. |
#8
|
||||
|
||||
Well, my preamp arrived, and I still had to wait for the cables that I ordered. Here are some early pictures.
__________________
Speakers........Dynaudio Contour 1.8 Mk II Amp...............Pass Labs X150.5 PreAmp..........McIntosh C2600 Sources..........Music Hall MMF 9.3 Walnut w/ Goldring Eroica LX MC Cartridge Phono Pre...…..Sutherland Insight CD Player Rotel RCD-1072 Record Cleaning Machine...….Okki Nokki DAC................Bryston BDA-3 Headphones.....Drop + Dan Clark Audio Ether CX / Sennheiser HD-660S Headphone Amp.....Bryston BHA-1 Cables....Amp to preamp - Morrow MA4 Preamp to DAC - Morrow MA4 Preamp to Headphone Amp - Morrow MA2 |
#9
|
||||
|
||||
Very cool!
__________________
Tony D'Agostino Momentum S250 MxV & HD pre; Linn Klimax Organik DSM, SonicTransporter, EtherRegen; Acoustic Signature Typhoon Neo, Koetsu RSP, Boulder 1108; Sf Il Cremonese; Shunyata Everest, Altaira, Sigma & Alpha v2 |
#10
|
||||
|
||||
Looking good!
__________________
Doug 2-Channel McIntosh C2700, (2X)MC601, MEN220 Lampizator Baltic 3 Sonore opticalRendu, SGC sonicTransporter i5 (Gen 3), Roon Thorens TT TD318 B&W 803D3 JL Audio (2x)f110v2 Shunyata Denali/S v2, Alpha v2 PCs, WW Gold/Silver Eclipse Interconnects, Platinum USB Whole House Music Listening Bluesound Vault2i, PowerNode2, PulseMini2i, Pulse2, (3x)Flex 5.2 System Above using Passthru Marantz SR7012 Oppo 205, Apple TV (4th gen), Sony XBR850e65 B&W HTM2 D3 Second 5.1 System Castoffs from Upgrades LRC Paradigm Millenia 20, Velodyne MiniVee 10, KEF surrounds, DefTech AW6500 |
|
|
Audio Aficionado Sponsors | |