Blue Circle BC3 vs. McIntosh C2200?

Thanks Budrew for your thoughts. I'll try to demo both.

the 2200/2102 pr is one of the best in hi end audio...truly the best of what tubes bring to the system, without the temperment and lack of versatility of other brands.

just replaced my audio research ls-1 with a mac c2200, no comparison!!, the mac is an unbelievably great preamp..i compared it side by side with an updated/vintage audio research sp-11 and frankly, the mac was far superior, bass is exceptional with the mac preamp, very controlled and acccurate, and the rest of the sound spectrum is gorgeous, the sp-11 seemed to have a more laidback yet veiled sound...when listening to cd's i was shocked to find how good some of the older cd's can sound...as i have been primarily listening to vinyl, it was a pleasant surprise...additionally, i can not find fault with the phono stage...overall an excelllent choice for a tube pre-amp, sorry i cant compare it directly to the blue circle..hope this helps