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

@eugene81 Glad to hear your Allnic pre is working out. I've had the same experience as you trying to run directly from a digital source to a power amp, counter-intuitively it always seems to sound worse.

Allnic gear is a real 'sleeper' in the high-end world, it should be far more prominent than it is.