McIntosh C-2200 or C-46 with MC-402???

im running the c2200 with a pair of mc 252's & im completely happy with the system.

my c2200 replaced a c38 which was an awesome preamp & at first i found the c2200 to be lacking in not only depth but the tone controls seemed weak too,after close to a year with the c2200 & the 252's the c2200 has smoothed out & really opened up,even the tone controls seem to have more depth,for me the c2200 is perfect.

i would think the mc402 c2200 combo is a perfect match just give your stock tubes a good long burn in before you buy big $$$ tubes from anybodys "private stock".

mike.

I have read these responses and wow do I ever get a different reaction. I own both the c2200 and the c46, I also have the 252 and the 2751v. I totally enjoy them all,veiled is not a word I would use to describe the c46,but we all hear what we hear. 1st off I have found with Mac gear if you use balanced interconnects the "life" just goes out of the music. To me without question single ended sounds much better....and I am using cheap interconnects.

Yes the c2200 gives you the "tube" thing and does it very nicely. I also find the C46 to be very musical and involving. Lately I have been using the c46 with the 252 and the c2200 with the 275...all with great results.

I can honestly say I like both sets eqaully and yes they do different things. Sometimes I feel like the tube thing, othertimes I feel like listening to the SS thing.

Ultimately you need to hear both in your home ( I know maybe tough to do) but all I can say is just last night I was listening to the c46/252 and when I was done I just stood back and said....man that sounds good.

Great comments -- I really appreciate it.

The other contenders that come to mind (used) would be a Mac C-100 or an ARC Ref II Mk II (or LS25). I understand the C-200 is basically the same thing.

Any comments on these, or comparisons to the above?

The thing is, I'm not a tweaker. I had one system for years and years, and now I'm looking to "finalize" another system that I'll have while my hairline does some serious receding.

i demo'ed the c100 in my home & i hated every single thing about it,call me old fashioned but to me tone controls are a must,in my rig the c100 sounded allmost "tinny",if your local mac dealer is any good he shouldnt have a problem arringing for a few in home demo's of the current preamps.

I also own a MC402 amp that I use in a 2-channel and home theater set up that are in the same room. I am typically a tube guy all the way when it comes to 2 channel. I have a pair of Viva Aurora SET amps which I love, but the MC-402 is very very good. I found excellent results with an Air Tight ATC-2 pre-amp (tubes) which is my long term keeper preamp. I have not owned any of the Mac preamps to comment, but have had many solid state pre's in my system which all seem to lack the magic I get with a good tube preamp.