All good questions. Yes, I'm open to used. And yes, good suggestion to "demo" the C2600--I'll ask. You ask about dac, yet sorry, not exactly sure what that is (I was serious about being limited in knowledge--much has changed in 35 years). No need for phono stage. Don't know what "true balanced outputs" are...... Listening levels are low to medium and I listen to 70s classic rock, jazz, some contemporary musicians with strong vocals like Adele, Bareilles, Norah Jones, Krall--a wide variety of interest, but nothing heavy and loud.
Will McIntosh C2600 tube preamp solve my problem?
I'm a newby, having resurfaced to hifi after 35 years of raising a family and all the expenses associated with that. I recently purchased B&W 802 D3 speakers because I loved their clarify and crisp high-end sound. Soon after, my 35 year-old Adcom amp died so I replaced it with the Rotel RB-1590 that I have paired with my 35 year-old Rotel preamp. The sound is very good, but I'm looking to warm it up a bit. My weak link is my preamp and a local McIntosh dealer recommended the C2600. Due to my lack of knowledge, I'm clueless of tubes versus solid state and even more uninformed of how the C2600 would pair with my Rotel amp. Any advise would be helpful. And please, keep it as simple as possible.