Am I really smart or really stupid?

Stupid! (hey, your choice) The C-2 was a great piece. Their tuners from that era were fine too. However, it's 30 years old with dried out capacitors, oxidation, and dust in the pots. In addition, you are going through the phono section AND through the pre-amp section before you get to your gear. Buy an inexpensive high-end pre-pre such as the Lehman black cube or even the little Creek units. You may come out ahead financially after selling the antique, which is why it's stupid to keep it.

I'll vote for "really smart", subject only to the assumption that your equipment is not "dried out" and is working more or less in good repair.

The Yamaha C-2, although "high end" at the time, was nonetheless considered a "sleeper" -- even better than its reputation and price.

Its successor, the barely revised C2a had a near cult following and was drooled over by HP and the audiophile press, even compared to megabuck Audio Research etc. preamps.

I was in high school and working for a Yamaha dealer at the time, and took advantage of my trade price to buy a C2a with a Hafler DH-500, Magneplanar MG-IIa, and another Yamaha cult item -- the PX-2 linear tracking turntable with a Grado Signature cartridge.

My boss who ran the store came over and said "best system I have ever heard?!"

(This is someone who normally yelled at me for being late or hungover on Saturday mornings and was not inclined to paying compliments.)

This was also also in the context of our demo room which at the time had huge McIntosh amplifiers driving Dahlquist DQ-10s and subs, KEF 104s and 105s, and other much more expensive products.

I agree with your "wolf ticket" remark and often think that other than digital sources and material, much of the entire business has stood still or gone backwards in the last twenty years.

Enjoy your system.

RIAA ain't a big deal??? I think you are smug in assuming you can get something good at a price that precludes better components. As someone has already said, you are certainly not enlightened but probably not stupid. If you don't value realism in your music that is fine, enjoy the music, but don't feel smug about it.

CWLondon- the main problem I have with it is that the C-2 is not the pre-amp- he's tape looping it to another pre-amp. I'm sure it sounds fine, but you can get a good pre-pre now for $220. There's got to be a point that a goog pre-pre sounds better than c-2 pre-pre plus c-2 pre-amp section. I don't think it's 2 grand. It's probably a lot closer to 200. While GREAT in it's day, like the 104.2, there have been a lot of improvements in 30 years. Even with good old analog, there has been huge progress.