Upgrade to McIntosh

A friend has the MC275, C22, Linn Sondek driving Sonus Faber Cremonas. It sounds truly wonderful. And there is nothing lacking or wrong with the bass.

I have Vandersteen Model 5s and ARC tubes for power.

It's all up to your taste and your room. Good luck!

I have always liked McIntosh and have had McIntosh solid state Integrated amps. I have never been a tube guy. Not necessarily because I thought solid state was better but I didn’t have the opportunity to demo separate tube preamp and amp nor the funds or space, and was concerned about the power output of tube amps.  I recently traded in my older MA 6900 for the MA352.  I was thinking that a tube preamp section was better than a ss one and then the ss power section would give me plenty of power. Plus, I have always liked the equalization knobs on McIntosh equipment.  I have been happy with it but never demoed the tube setup.  I don’t know if my aging ears could discern enough improved SQ to make the extra expense. I checked out the 225 and the C8 online. The 225 is highly favored and C8 seems to have plenty of power.  So the combo looks pretty good and I would go with the recommendations of the other commentators here with experience with tubes.

I moved from a McIntosh solid state multi-channel amp to a 275 for the front L and R speakers (Klipsch La Scala's).  The bass was MUCH better, in every way, with the 275.  I was quite pleasantly surprised!

I don’t think you can go wrong.

1. Room size - take into consideration. Could the C8 + MC275 maybe be more than you need?

2. I have not heard your Sonus bookshelf speakers but do they need that much (C8 + MC275) to drive them?

3. I have the McIntosh MA352 (driving Revel F328Be speakers) and have never been happier. While I might change other components, the MA352 & Revels are the last amp / speaker setup.

Good luck!

Not really an apples to apples comparison. The MA352 is a hybrid integrated. Tube preamp, solid-state power amp. The MC275 is a true tube amp and probably more closer to the McIntosh sound than the MA352. I owned an MA352 for a while. Wasn’t crazy about it. Found it a bit harsh in the midrange and lacking top end detail. I ended up replacing it with McIntosh separates. If you demoed the MC275 and fell in love with it, you will not likely be satisfied with the MA352.