mcintosh c52 vs 2300/2500 preamplifier


hi, i have a mcintosh mc601 amplifiers, mcinstoh c2300 preamplifier and dynaudio c4 confidence speakers.
there are a new preamplifer in the market "mcintosh c52", is better that mcintosh 2300 in relation to the sound quality?, the idea is conect the aple minimac to the c52 by usb but the quality sound is better that 2300?
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Showing 2 responses by effischer

2300/2500 = tubes, 50/52 = solid state. Different sound. 2300 does not have a DAC, 2500 does (up to 32 bit 192 kHz). 50 has the same 32 bit 192 kHz DAC while the 52 has a new DAC that has 32 bit 192 kHz and DSD.

I had a 2300 and loved it, but found it took too long to warm-up and it did not especially care for electric instruments. Since I couldn't leave it powered up 24/7 and own quite a bit of rock & roll, I traded it on a C50. The C50 warms up much more quickly, allows me to run digital files and is better with electric music but lacks the completely natural sound of the 2300. It is only really noticeable on very well recorded acoustic music, so it was a good compromise in my case.

If you really like the sound of your C2300 but want to add digital playback from your computer, I'd suggest you consider the C2500. That will get you the same reference-level phono section you already enjoy and add one of the best PCM DACs made.

Good luck & happy listening!
That was my perception. The C2300 was about as good as it gets, at any price. I may go back to tubes and get a C2500 at some point, but not until I have more free time.