I'm looking for some tube recommendations as well. I just received a used 38uc and it honestly sound pretty grainy. 12ax7 and 12au7 are do common though I thought I would try a new set
Cl38u definitely is a good pre,but the problem here is no XLR,my power amplifier is Audio research Ref 75se with XLR only. so they can not work together.
C900u is also good. Does anyone know the different with Cl38u or se or uc?
As C900u has XLR port,that is what I need for my power amplifier.
You comments are misinformed. There are tube amps that add noise and distortion, but there are plenty of newer tube amps that do no such thing. Look at Rogue Audio, Luxman, Backert Labs, Primaluna. There are so many modern examples of great preamps that are unlike the tube preamps of yore.
I bought a Luxman CL-38u a few years ago and liked it so much I recently grabbed a CL-38uSE. Both models are very quiet in my systems and have outstanding phono preamps for both MM and MC carts. I haven't tried the McIntosh MC2700 but can vouch directly for the Luxman…
The 38 C has a low impedance output of 300 ohms. Very easy on the tubes. In my case it's three years and no change on any tube. I've heard anywhere from 5-10 years. We'll see.
I've had the CL38U SE for about three years. Prior to that I had a CJ ET3 SE. There is no comparison. Just 1K difference in price but miles difference between the preamps. The 38 had more dynamics top end is detailed not rolled off like the CJ. When I demoed the Luxman at home I put on Black Magic Woman on my, at the time Linn TT. The whole song just came alive. The Guitar licks had bite that the CJ couldn't reproduce. The tubes are as quiet today as they were over three years ago. The built in three tube phono is excellent. I don't know of any built in phonos at this price that has four step up transformers. Since purchasing the preamp I sold the Linn and added the Luxman PD-171 TT. I'm using it w/a Dynavector 20xl2. LP's are dead quiet. Very rare do I get surface noise or pop's and clicks. This is my last preamp.
Tubes do not "just add distortion" they are very linear amplifying devices and what distortion is present is benign even order harmonics. I concur with ei001h between the two Luxman is the way to go. They are building some fantastic sounding gorgeous tubed gear these days.
I've directly compared C2600 and 38UC. Skip the MAC, Luxman is way better in every sense of the word. I say this and I own C2600. The quality, craftsmanship, material, detail and of course the sound is much more refined. C38 also has a much better phono stage. I wish I knew about Luxman before I got into Mac. I didn't hear any distortion from either one. If you have efficient speakers, pair it with a Luxman tube amp and you won't regret it.
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