Pre of three?


Hello again, I think when most people ask these sorts of questions, a lot of the time, they have already decided and they are just looking for reinforcement. Which is fine, I've done it, but this time I really have no idea, I could go with any of them and I am thinking about flipping a coin? I would love to hear from anyone who has spent time with any of these preamps. Is there one which is a clear choice above the others.

Here they are:

Cary slp-98
Juciy music peach II
McIntosh c2200 or c220

The rest of the system is a musical fidelity Tri-vista dac, Vandersteen 3a's and a McIntosh mc2500.

Thanks a lot.

Mike
hanaleimike
You can never go wrong buying Mac equipment. Your non-audio friends will be impressed. But after about 6 months you will start to second guess your decision and sell the Mac on Audiogon and buy a demo Cary slp-98 in "minty" condition. After rolling all kinds of NOS tubes for about 2 months and then doing the power cord thing you will become disenchanted and sell it on Agon. You will then buy the Peach out of default just because if you never tried it you will never know if it was the best. After about 2 weeks of trying different speaker cables and interconnects, you will sell it on Agon and purchase a new Mac preamp because there are no used ones available at the time and you just can't wait anymore. Ahh--the life of the audiophile.
I had the JuicyMusic and it was a disappointment. I now I have a C2200 and am delighted with it.
JuicyMusic is out of business now.
I had a Mac 7270 hooked to a Carver C-1. Then went to the Cary SLP98P what a difference. Then I got a Cary V12R and it sounded great. Now I have a new Cary CAD120S and it sounds better to me than a Mac 275 that was hooked up to Wilson Sophia II's, and I do not have speakers as good. I will not knock Mac, but if you get an SLP98P or L get the CAD120S, it is an unbeleiveable combo. Good luck.