McIntosh Guy Going Tubes? (Maybe?)

I am in agreement with the others. I have a C2500 with the Gold Lion tubes in the line stage and a MC152 solid state amp=Heaven. 

If you want something a bit more musical or lush - Try 1 NOS RCA Long Black Plate 12AX7 from 1950’s in the input of the line stage on a C2500 or C2600. I agree on the Gold Lions for the phono (nice detail and probably as good as NOS telefunken ECC83) but I found the McIntosh stock 12AT7 on the output of the line stage to be the most musical - so I kept that (it is a Czech tube from JJ). I tried NOS Mullard but they are too dark for my taste.

The point is that with a bit of effort and not a huge expense you can tailor the sound to what works for you and your system. McIntosh may not be the last word in resolution but they know a thing or two about making an amp sound sublime.

So, There seems to be somewhat of a consensus that the first step should be a tube preamp (I’m proposing the C2600,  I still drink the Kool-Aid every day. Sorry… ), role tubes and keep my present MC601s. What difference do you think I would experience going to the tube amplifiers later? 

I could not accommodate a pair of MC601's so I'm running an MC452.  I believe both amps have "the best of both worlds", the "warm" sound that usually goes with tube amps, but the "speed" of solid state.

The only problem I can see with going to a C2600 with Gold Lions might be the stress on your facial muscles...controlling the "jaw dropping" response when that preamp breaks in!

If I were going to go to tubes I would trade in my MC452 and get the MC275. I doubt I will any time soon, because I like my 452. I’ve had tubes before (ARC) and they are great, but solid state tends to be more reliable and I like that. If you can, borrow a 275 from a Mac dealer and try it. It will sound different, and only you can decide if it floats your boat. Generally speaking, the tube amp will probably have a smoother top end and warmer, more refined midrange. Probably not as much bass, and won’t play as loud. Kinda depends on your speakers, I’m not familiar with yours. I would rather have your 601s, but that’s just me.