The C50 and C2500 are roughly equivalent in price and features. As noted by the others, it depends much more on whether you want to go with the tube sound.
I had a C2300 for 6 months and loved it. But. It took about 3 hours or so to warm up and I couldn't leave it on 24/7. It also didn't reproduce some electronic instruments quite as crisply as I prefer.
So, I turned it in on a C50. Does the C50 sound as good on acoustic music from vinyl? No. Does it outperform with Al DiMeola, also from vinyl? Yes. Is the on-board DAC useful? Yes. Do I use it much? No. Does it warm up fast enough to allow me to actually listen to music rather than wait? Absolutely!
Both are superb units built to serve the same market differently. Give some thought to how you listen and what you listen to. Let that be your guide.
Good luck & happy listening!
I had a C2300 for 6 months and loved it. But. It took about 3 hours or so to warm up and I couldn't leave it on 24/7. It also didn't reproduce some electronic instruments quite as crisply as I prefer.
So, I turned it in on a C50. Does the C50 sound as good on acoustic music from vinyl? No. Does it outperform with Al DiMeola, also from vinyl? Yes. Is the on-board DAC useful? Yes. Do I use it much? No. Does it warm up fast enough to allow me to actually listen to music rather than wait? Absolutely!
Both are superb units built to serve the same market differently. Give some thought to how you listen and what you listen to. Let that be your guide.
Good luck & happy listening!