Upgrade to McIntosh

Hello everyone,

I am looking to upgrade my hi-fi sytem.I demod MC 275 recently and loved the tuby,warm house sound of Mcintosh.

I will be pairing them with Sonus Faber Olympica 1.

I am torn between MA352 integrated and MC275+C8 separates. The latter is obviously more costly but I am willing to go for it if there are advantages.

How would the sound differ? What would be the most notable distinction between the two system in your opinion?

Thanks in advance

jeffreyw Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 248 posts 02-20-2023 at 08:48pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete @wolfgangamadeusaudiophiliac I have a C2700 feeding a pair of MC611s. To my ears, it sounds like a 600W tube system with the ability to power anything out there. I love the idea of a tube preamp and SS amp. It gives you the best of both worlds.
jeffreyw Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 248 posts 02-20-2023 at 11:02pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete @vonhelmholtz +1 I was going to recommend that as an option to the OP. I still am gobsmacked by the quality of sound produced by the DA2 module, though. I also have a separate DAC, and its cost is roughly 15X the cost of the DA2; it is glorious, but not 15X!
jeffreyw Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 248 posts 02-24-2023 at 05:29pm Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete @steve59 @wolfgangamadeusaudiophiliac I can comment on how good the DA2 module is. I run an additional Aries Cerat Helene DAC in my system ($17K). The Helene is clearly better in every aspect. However, what most impresses me about my system is just how good the DA2 is when I do an A/B test. DACs have become so good for so little money. I really think you would need to be in the $3K range to better the DA2, and that improvement wouldn't be jaw-dropping; $10K would be needed for that reaction. This is just an example of how good of a value the DA2 brings to the table.