looking at mcintosh pre-amp c2500. Can I do better for the cost of a Mac?

wanders:  I have the SP13, which is just the SP14 with 6CG7 tubes instead of 6SN7.  Essentially the same piece and I'm quite happy with it.

@effischer so I pulled the trigger on the C2500. On paper and through reputation its seemed like a good decision. Cant wait to see just how good its DAC and built in Phono are. I will post my findings once its all set up. ill be sure to make note of all the changes in sound as I go through swapping out my amps and other components as well..... 

 

Great! I am sure you will be happy. Enjoy the upgrade path.

You won't be disappointed, @macandtosh.  Make sure to give it 75 hours or so of use before you consider any serious changes to tubes or the rest of your system.  It will take at least that long to fully break in and start warming up in a reasonable time.  Patience is key now.  

With respect to the phono part, do some archive searches here and do as many auditions of LOMC cartridges as you can.  The Mc can handle them all, but some will be more suitable for your system and listening preferences than others.

You have a lot of choices with amps and speakers, too.  I'm partial to the tube preamp / SS power amp combo for most music, but like my all-SS system for my present needs.  I've also heard all-tube systems that rocked my world, but would have broken my bank.  It's always a compromise somewhere.

Have fun & happy listening!