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Tube Pre and SS Power? Or the reverse?

I posted a week or so ago about trading in my McIntosh MA352 integrated amp for separates.  

Now my question is, which goes tube and which should be SS?

I have received almost 50/50 responses, even from dealers.  

I have a big room, that has been acoustically treated, Revel Studio 2 speakers, and I'm running 2 SVS subs.

Some say I should go with a C49 SS pre and a MC275 Power amp = about $18k, less my trade-in.

Others say C2800 pre and a MC462 Power amp = $22k.

Quite a big difference.

 

mojo771
100boardwalk
35 posts
 

As I mentioned earlier, I have a C53 and a version VI MC275. I also use my C53 with a vintage MC240 which definitely delivers serious tubey goodness. I love my 275, but it swings more to the clinical side in my opinion. If old school tube sound is what you're looking for, maybe a tube preamp would be a better match with the 275.

runwell
287 posts
 

Op, the dealer is right. SS pre + tube power is the right way to go. The sound will be coherent, with ss to tube or tube to tube. 

audiomirror
37 posts
 

Tube pre and SS amp. Those speakers are hard to drive with a tube amp, but should be perfectly OK with SS. 87db and impedance dipping down to 3.6 ohms are not good for any tube amp. I design and build tube amps and preamps and from my experience no matter if the tube amp has 4 ohms output, they like 8 ohms load. 

gavman's avatar
gavman
157 posts
 

You can do much better than Mcintosh. Try Boulder power amp with a valve pre- i use Wavac. If i had to buy US I'd try VAC pre, Boulder power.

seekerbob
71 posts
 

mojo771

I have a Mac C2300 pre with a MC402 have been very happy, in fact have never

thought of buying anything new since. I've been off the merry go round for a long

time now. The C2800 plus MC462would be the newest version of the above.

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