I would like to thank all contributours to this thread. It has helped me with my decision. I finally settled for a ModWright LS 100 which is now installed in my system. I have replaced the stock tubes by apropriate NOS tubes and the preamp is currently burning in. Still, the changes to the sound of my system are clearly identifiable. The C220 has a more relaxed sound, a bit more distant, a somewhat more damped concert hall. The ModWright commands more attention, is a bit more resolving and seats me closer to the performance. Bass perfectly sculptured sweet mids and some more punch in the highs. The cymbals stand out more but have nothing hard or edgy to it. On the downside, the C220 has the better ergonomics and lets you play with your system - in particular comparing music played from different sources i.e. the same track from vinyl to CD to hogh-res download adjusting levels etc on the fly. But as listening to music is the ultimate goal of my system, I guess I am better off now.
Thanks again to all that helped.
