Preamp thoughts- Conrad Johnson ET7 S2 V McIntosh C2600


I still haven’t found a preamp I can live with after parting company with a Allnic Audio L-5000 DHT some months ago.

 I had a brief and enjoyable affair with a nice Electrocompaniet pre, which was wonderful in many ways, big, bold, warm and luscious - but ultimately lacking a little in resolving powers. A step up to their latest iteration is a tempting possibility.

Another short encounter ensued, this time with a more integrated solution, a Devialet Expert Pro 220 CI..... nope, not my cup of tea.

So, Conrad Johnson ET7 S2 V McIntosh C2600.

Anyone have any experience with both of these units and care to shed light on strengths/weaknesses one versus the other.
i like big, warm, bold but with extension, air, ambience, detail etc. My Allnic was almost perfect in so many ways but a touch too neutral. 
I’ve looked closely at a lot of preamps including Aric Audio, MicroZotl, Don Sachs, and now the more mainstream units from CJ and McIntosh.

Phono, DAC not necessary but I would like a pair of outs for subs.
Preamp to pair with Thor TPA 60 KT77 monoblocks, but other amps, including solid state will come and go (part time reviewer).
Speakers are Dunlavy SC-III or Castle Harlech or any of a variety of other speakers that come and go. Vinyl mostly, some digital via Aurender N100H / Moon Audio 380D. PSA P10 to keep everything clean.

Up to around $6k on the used market but flexible.

Thanks for any input!!

Rooze

128x128rooze

rooze that Emotive Epifania looks lucious!   I'm still using a CJ ET5 myself with a Seimans NOS - always been a big fan of CJ preamps.  

It mates well with my Allnic H3000 phono stage and Thiel speakers.

My short list now includes the Emotive and the ET7 v2.  

Nice I've ogled Emovitve Audio preamps more than a few times they look like great designs!

@rooze You've sparked my interest in Allnic, so I just pulled the trigger on an L-3000 MkII to get my feet wet.

@eugene81 Good luck with the L-3000, I'm sure you'll love it. I've had their A-6000 300b monoblocks for a couple months now and they're tremendous. I've had three Allnic products and they've worked reliably, sounded wonderful, and are excellent value.

Let us know how it sounds!

Rooze