Conrad Johnson vs. McIntosh Tube Gear

Db2sub1, take a look at the comments by Gmartan at this link, FWIW.

C2200/C2300

Brianmgrarcom, thank you for the link. I read it and have decided to put my C2200 plans on hold. I think it best to do this in a stepwise fashion and go with a tube preamp first paired with my Quicksilver Triodes. I want a remote control preamp and will investigate the C2300. If that's not warm enough, I next intend to buy a pair vintage '60s tube amps since I don't think any of the modern ones have the sonic signature that I am seeking. New stuff all seems to be striving for accuracy at the expense of beauty. The difference between solid state and tube is virtually nonexistant. Does anyone know how old Mac tube amps sound? Warm full-bodied midrange?? Mrtennis is quite impressed with Conrad Johnson's MV125 and we seem to be on the same wavelength but I don't think those CJ 125s are easily found and looking for one of those could take a very long time.

Just received a reply from the owner/designer of Quicksilver Audio and he recommends pairing the Quicksilver Triode amps with and an Audible Illusions preamp for an ultra smooth warm midrange. Has anyone heard this combination? Anyone familiar with Audible Illusions preamps?

Thought I haven’t used the new Triode amps, I’ve used both the Silver 60’s and Silver 90’s amps from Quicksilver with my Audible Illusions Mod3a preamp for some time (before selling the amps and going SS on the bottom). The midrange is as Mike points out super smooth and silky... Depending on the room size and speaker selection it’s a winning combo.

As for the AI, there’s a lot in print here and elsewhere about the product and company. I’ve have zero problems with mine and it’s a great bang for the buck. Put some Russian military NOS tubes in it and sit back. The preamp adds little to no color what so ever and is dead quite. Personally I can’t say enough good things about the preamp, plus it has a very good phono stage. (I had the mod3 which I had upgrades a few years back to the mod3a with a custom 17” faceplate.) There are very reasonably priced on the used market, however please read the threads on customer service.

One last note, there is absolutely NO comparison between the QS line stage and the AI Mod3a. The AI is just a killer preamp (for the money).

Good luck
Tony

I think both Mike Sanders and Tony are right; that was my experience with AI and QS 8417 an excellent combination.