2. amps-preamps
  3. 1138006741

Mcintosh C-2200 or Aesthetix Calypso?

I know I want a tube preamp and have narrowed the field down to these two. Both are available at the same price. After reading what members have to say about the Calypso, it seems like the clear winner ...but....I like the tone controls on the Mcintosh. At 12 o clock position the tone controls are inactive and out of the signal path, but can be used as needed otherwise. (According to Mcintosh) I know tone controls are frowned upon, but I have owned preamps without them in the past and found it to be frustrating when I felt the need to compensate for a bad recording. Associated gear is Classe Seven Hundred mono's, B&W 800N, and a yet to be determined CDP. Thanks for your advice.
baffled

Showing 2 responses by aball

aball
2,018 posts
 
I never compared the 2200 to my C42 directly. I did hear the 2200 several times but in unfamiliar systems.

If I were in your shoes, I would get a C42 and buy a very nice CDP with the money left over. Arthur
aball
2,018 posts
 
You can not only fix recordings but your room as well with tone controls. You could even opt for the C46 (which I find more transparent and dynamic than the 2200) that has an 8 band EQ and is much more useful than just "bass" and "treble" control. I have the C42 with this feature and it has made an incredible improvement in tonal neutrality that even a "better" preamp w/o EQ would never be able to match in my room.

Arthur
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