Upgrade amp or pre

I have "upgraded" amps only to be left wondering how it is that different brands can sound so remarkably similar; later asking, why did I spend that money??

However, every pre I've purchased has made a substantial alteration to the sound of my system (not always for the better). In my opinion, the Pre is the crucial, vital component that brings everything together. A good pre can make a mediocre system sound great.

For the price of a MC452 (15,000) You could upgrade BOTH the Preamp and the Amp. Not sure why your focused on there most expensive two channel amp? You could get a MC352 and a C2200 and have a bunch of cash left over. IMO. Regards.

surround sound pre amps because they have integrated DAC's suffer faster technology obsolesence... doubt the Macintosh amp technology has changed much in a decade. Be sure to identify a specific problem you are trying to solve in a new pre else you may get a better pre in an area that doesn't enrich your listening enjoyment.