Tube rolling - let me save you some time. For the C2300 get some Psvane Treasures from Grant Fidleity (Ian Grant) OR some Gold Lion reissues (Jim McShane). I must have tried 10 different sets of tubes (Amperex, Mullard, Telefunken, Mazda, Sovtek, etc.) and the best have been the two mentioned above. The C2300 is a great preamp and using with your MC402 should lend great results. I use mine with a MC252 and looking fwd to upgrading to the MC402 (if I can find a NIB leftover) or MC452. Don't give up on the Mc. Tubes will require some burn in time - be patient.
Tube pre-amp upgrade from Mcintosh C2300
If I want to upgrade my Mac C2300 tube pre, should I just move up within Mac line to Mac C500T or try an audio research Ref 5 or a Shindo Monbrison? Has anyone compared those?
My source is Linn Akurate DS player, amps are Mac MC402 and MC275, speaker is Wilson audio Sophia 2 with transparent Ultra cables.
My source is Linn Akurate DS player, amps are Mac MC402 and MC275, speaker is Wilson audio Sophia 2 with transparent Ultra cables.