[prepress]

One nice thing about the C2300 (or any tube preamp, I suppose) is that you can experiment with and change the sound by the tubes you use. I have the Telefunken/JJ Black Diamonds in the 2300 now, and I pulled out my Pioneer BDP-09FD Blu-ray while my 88FD was off for repair. The sound of the combo is great; the 88 may not get its spot back. The 09 uses eight Wolfson DACs in Dual mode, and the 09 is a beast. The 88FD uses ESS Sabres, which are very good DACs but are not as rich as the Wolfsons, based on how they sound in my system and some of what I've read regarding Oppo players (which also used Sabres) having a somewhat light tonal balance. I prefer the Wolfson sound. Implementation may play a role in this I suppose, but my opinion stands.

What I now begin to wonder is whether or not I'd do better with an alternative to the MCD500 I use for CD/SACD, since it uses the ESS Sabres also. Some older CDs are quite bright-sounding and cannot be listened to at my normal volume without grating on my nerves. I could re-install the JJ Gold-Plated Hi-Performance tubes in my 2300 to mitigate the brightness some (and it's way cheaper than a new player), but I don't want to mess with the Black Diamond/09 magic I've heard lately. I used the JJs with the 09 before and had no complaint on the sound, but they were the only tube I was familiar with at the time and they are warmer than the BDs.

This is where the mind can go when it's a bit slow at work. Pretty sure it will blow over if I give it enough time. At least, I am pretty sure for now.