McIntosh Guy Going Tubes? (Maybe?)

If you want something a bit more musical or lush - Try 1 NOS RCA Long Black Plate 12AX7 from 1950’s in the input of the line stage on a C2500 or C2600. I agree on the Gold Lions for the phono (nice detail and probably as good as NOS telefunken ECC83) but I found the McIntosh stock 12AT7 on the output of the line stage to be the most musical - so I kept that (it is a Czech tube from JJ). I tried NOS Mullard but they are too dark for my taste.

The point is that with a bit of effort and not a huge expense you can tailor the sound to what works for you and your system. McIntosh may not be the last word in resolution but they know a thing or two about making an amp sound sublime.

So, There seems to be somewhat of a consensus that the first step should be a tube preamp (I’m proposing the C2600,  I still drink the Kool-Aid every day. Sorry… ), role tubes and keep my present MC601s. What difference do you think I would experience going to the tube amplifiers later? 

I could not accommodate a pair of MC601's so I'm running an MC452.  I believe both amps have "the best of both worlds", the "warm" sound that usually goes with tube amps, but the "speed" of solid state.

The only problem I can see with going to a C2600 with Gold Lions might be the stress on your facial muscles...controlling the "jaw dropping" response when that preamp breaks in!

If I were going to go to tubes I would trade in my MC452 and get the MC275. I doubt I will any time soon, because I like my 452. I’ve had tubes before (ARC) and they are great, but solid state tends to be more reliable and I like that. If you can, borrow a 275 from a Mac dealer and try it. It will sound different, and only you can decide if it floats your boat. Generally speaking, the tube amp will probably have a smoother top end and warmer, more refined midrange. Probably not as much bass, and won’t play as loud. Kinda depends on your speakers, I’m not familiar with yours. I would rather have your 601s, but that’s just me.

tlong1958,
One of my audio buddies swapped out his MC452 for one MC275 and found (for him) it didn't have enough "horsepower".  He purchased a second MC275, running them each as a "monoblock" and that put a smile on his face.  Being retired and using his system several hours per day, he's now complaining about the cost of replacing tubes on the MC275s.  One thing to think about, when going to a tube power amp.