I know all those McIntoshes very well and used to own a pair of 804s myself. McIntosh is about the best choice for B&W IMO. Your ears heard right! I used my 804s with a MC7200 and C42.
Between a 252 or a 275, the choice should be made based on your current room. If it isn't very large (say ~200sqft) then the 275 is the better choice. if your room is a good bit larger than that, the 252 will be needed to make sure you get enough bass development. The 275 is a very fine amp but the 804s love power. However you don't need to go all the way to 400Wpc with 804s IMO.
Definitely upgrade amp first. The 804 is very critical of amplifiers.
You should also consider the McIntosh MA7000 and MA2275 integrateds. They are absolutely sublime and can be split if you want to get separates later.
I think tubes in the system are a must - especially with a digital source. Check out the C220. It is a perfect mate to either the 275 or 252.
Arthur
Between a 252 or a 275, the choice should be made based on your current room. If it isn't very large (say ~200sqft) then the 275 is the better choice. if your room is a good bit larger than that, the 252 will be needed to make sure you get enough bass development. The 275 is a very fine amp but the 804s love power. However you don't need to go all the way to 400Wpc with 804s IMO.
Definitely upgrade amp first. The 804 is very critical of amplifiers.
You should also consider the McIntosh MA7000 and MA2275 integrateds. They are absolutely sublime and can be split if you want to get separates later.
I think tubes in the system are a must - especially with a digital source. Check out the C220. It is a perfect mate to either the 275 or 252.
Arthur