Macintosh MC452 or Mark Levinson 532H

I use a 326s with a pair of Parasound JC1's and it's a fantastic combination. Be sure to give them a listen if you consider straying from a full Levinson rig.

In response to DTC, I found that the 532 is quite a bit different from the 432. I agree with him however that the 432/326 combo may be a bit too laid back. I found the 532 to be significantly more "alive" than the 432, and the 532/326s combination to be excellent and not overly refined.

It's not in your face the way some components can be in order to achieve maximum detail.. however the detail is still all there, just not in your face.

With that said, I still prefer the JC1/326s combination.

HK_Fan - thanks for the updates. Are you referring to the 532H or the 532? I have not heard either in my setup.

DTC,

I can only speak to the 532h as I haven't heard the 532.

The 432 is somewhat laid back, so with a more forward 532H, the 326 might work well. I still like the idea of a tube preamp. The Cary opened up my system tremendously and for less money than the 326.

I've also owned the Cary SLP-05 and agree that it is an outstanding preamp. I did miss the bottom end grunt of solid state however, and the lack of remote functions was also a major issue for me.

I would happily recommend the SLP-05 to anyone, but I still prefer my 326s for my taste/needs.