mcintosh mc402+c46 or mc402+c2200,2300

Depends on what your needs are. I would eliminate #3 as an option as the 402 is a wonderfull amp. If you want the tube sound pick the 2200 over the 2300. If you need theater pass thru unity gain then get the 2300. The 46 is solid state and will provide years of great service and has no appologies to offer in it's sound quality. The tube front end will be a more musical presentation for 2 channel. These of course are all one man's opinion and I am sure many will offer a different point of view.I own a 402 and had a 352 and can attest a vast improvemnent. I own a MX135 and used it for years as a stand along pre-pro.
The 135 is basically a 46 in the 2 channel end of the unit.

Go to the McIntosh forum on Audiokarma. Do a search and you will find a lot of information on the sonic differences between the C46, C2200 and C2300. Jeff Dorgay did a review of the C2300 in Tone Audio. Also, Paul Seydor wrote a review of the C46 + MC402 combination as well as the C2200 + MC2000 combination in Stereophile. Both reviews are available online. Seydor uses the C46 + MC402 as his reference with Quads.

I am using a C2300 + 402 combination and it is very musical, dynamic, detailed and has a slight tube warmth. The C2300 benefits from tube rolling and I have found Telefunkens to work very well.

One additional consideration is if you are using vinyl. The C2300 has an excellent tubed MC + MM phono stage. I have compared this against stand alone phono stages costing up to $3,000 and I continually prefer the McIntosh.

You really can't go wrong with any of the combinations you are interested in, unless your speakers are hard to drive then you should go with the 402 which delivers 100 amps of current. Good luck.

Depends on the speakers but probably number 2. That's a great tube-SS combo for a speaker that needs a lot of juice. You know some nice Focals, Linns, Egglestons, Paradigm Signatures, Vandersteens, etc. that would sound great!!

I went with an upgrade just recently.
I switched out a C36 for a C2200. The amp is a MC7300 (300watts) and the difference it made was absolutely astounding.

I have a 402 and auditioned both the c2200 and C46. Similar sound, the C46 was slightly warmer than the C2200 and had a better ability to resolve fine orchestral distinctions. The C2200 very slightly blurred massed instruments, but had a tube "plumpness" that would work very well for jazz. Since I like large orchestral works, like Mahler, I went with the solid state. (But I got a used C712)

I had been a solid state guy for all my listening years. Then, out of curiosity, I got a used C2200 and have wondered why I was so late to jump into the game. I am using a MC252 with it and am 'done' wwith upgrading amp/preamp. I have yet to roll tubes. My source is a Rega P7 TT and I am using a Graham Slee Era Gold V phono pre but will tyr the onboard phono on hte C2200 once I change the tubes. My vote is for a tube pre and SS amp.

Did you hear any differences in the bass extension and control between to C46 and C2200? Do you have speakers that go deep so those differences matter? I've noticed bigger differences than I would have expected among preamps (ARC, Krell, VTL) in this regard,and it's important to me. Any thoughts?

I have the mc402 and c46. A great pair. This combo has outstanding sound stage, incredible detail, and a lot of warmth. I think that is more due to the autoformers of the mc402. There is a lot of resolution between the speakers. You could buy the 2200 or 2300 for the tube sound but again the c46 with the mc402 have a tube sound to them.

theo, i have a mx132. what 2 chanell pre-amp is in mine?

I'll probably take a lot of heat for this. So please, just take it as my opinion and what had happened when I made the change. I had a C-46 pre and a MC-402 amp in my system for about 10 years. Just for a whim, I substituted a Rogue Audio Pharaoh hybrid integrated amp. This combination literally blew The Mac pre and power away. It totally amazed me at how a $3500 integrated could embarrass a 12k Mac system.....

Another vote for the C2300 here; it has one of the very best phono sections ever made and is especially good with LOMC cartridges.  Good luck & happy listening!