Blue Circle BC3 vs. McIntosh C2200?

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

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.

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

This seems like an odd comparison, but I've done it, though not directly. I've had both. I first had the BC3 paired with a BC28 hybrid amp. This was a great setup, but I was missing some dynamics and bottom end. The dealer thought the BC28 would be better paired with an SS preamp and recommended the BC103. I never tried the BC103 because the dual volume controls on the BC gear was a problem for my wife (I also ultimately prefer a single volume control). I eventually sold the BC gear and moved back to Mcintosh. I now have the C2200 and MC2102 tube amp. This is a great combination. It's more dynamic than the BC combination with better bass. The C2200 definitley has the edge in features. I use the mono switch on some older recordings. I would probably go back and say the C2200 is more dynamic than the BC3. However the BC3 has been upgraded to Mk2 since I heard it and the newer version is more dynamic, or so they say.

However, I really like the BC gear and I still have the CS integrated in my home office which i plan to someday upgrade to the BC24 hybrid amp and BC21 6sn7 preamp.

If you can demo them both. it could be a close race (unless features are important to you).