My high-speed internet was down for a while last month, and I noted my perspective and plans changed during that time. I also sense they're being influenced by a more frequent presence on the forum once again. Recent meteorological events in the northeast may have colored things a bit, too.
The first priority is again my equipment rack situation, as any new gear moves depend upon that. I will go back to my original rack, a humble Sanus EFAV, to support my 50" Kuro and the guts of my system (preamp, power conditioners, main disc players) for now. if I do move to something else, it will probably be an a la carte Salamander Synergy 30 if I'm satisfied it will work. If not, i should be content with what I have. As for the preamp, the original idea was "what if," which became "I'd like to"; with all the changes in my circumstances it's now "maybe, maybe not." My Christmas vacation plans are not final, but they have an influence as well.
Cost and long-term considerations are involved and now significant forces. I seem to have cooled on the C2300 due mainly to cost, along with the C50 for both cost and practical reasons as I don't need the extra features it offers over the C48 (which are what you're paying the extra $2,000 for, though the additional EQ bands have some potential benefit); it still wins on looks, though. The JC 2 could be limiting if the system expands; the same would apply to the CP-800 due to its insufficient number of analog inputs (added gear would be analog) and the fact that I have no plans for a digitally-based audio system.
So I come back to the C48. It is my frontrunner should I decide on a new preamp. It easily fits my most likely system scenarios. But even with that, my enthusiasm isn't as powerful as before. I'll see how things are once the equipment rack issue is resolved, and then where my head, wallet, and life are.
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