I became obsessed with higher fidelity sound through Jazz - and I remember hearing for the first time the muted trumpet of Miles Davis on vinyl and being emotionally floored. It was on a really bad system, but that didn't matter - the music went beyond the sound quality and that was my gateway drug into this obsession. It felt like I was reading a great book from cover to cover with every record I played. And perhaps because I could not afford to collect first edition books, I began collecting first pressing records. And realizing that many of these artists are no longer with us, it felt like some sort of daily ritual of resurrecting them for the duration of the record...almost to remind myself everyday of their contributions to this life. So naturally I became obsessed with the possibility describing and articulating the sounds of these older performances and cobbled together a budget system on a shoestring budget.
Although the easiest option was to purchase a newer integrated amp via Amazon - like the Yamaha, I thought that for the same cost I could get a vintage McIntosh Amp (something I've for one reason or another lusted after for decades only as an object or myth as I had never heard one in person)
After some searching, I got lucky and ended up purchasing a McIntosh MC2100 via craiglist in great condition and have been quite taken with its performance.
I also purchased with the MC2100 a Yaqin ms23b in hopes of (fingers crossed) getting it modded to the LesMod at some point in the near future. Currently, I have my Thorens 166mkii (AT140LC cart and stylus) plugged directly into the Yaqin ms23b and then feeding directly into the MC2100 which is being played through a pair of Monitor Audio Bronze 2 speakers(bi-wired).
A couple things that I've found myself wrestling with is, do I need a preamp? I've been reading about its original mate the C26 and have also read how most people seem to really dislike it. I've also seen a c28/29 (c29 seems to be more stable than the 26 or 28) paired with it - and visually they look beautiful together.
Does anyone also directly feed their turntable into these types of McIntosh amps? and or have a similar combination of amp/preamp setup? And if so, do you have any opinions on the sound quality difference between direct vs through a preamp?
Also, while on this topic, has anyone paired a tube preamp with the MC2100 which in theory would be kind of like a much nicer or truer version of the what the newer MA252 was trying accomplish. I'm only listening to vinyl and I guess I find myself wondering if need a preamp or if the sound quality will improve considerably...or if I'm just goin to complicate things.
Is there a difference between prephono amps like a lesmod yaqin vs Project tube box, etc?
The final thing is, for those who have lived with an mc225 and an mc240 - is there a considerable difference? If I'm being honest, it was the MC225 paired with a Falcon LS3/5a that I originally wanted but the cost was just too much for me.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and respond. I hope this finds everyone well.