[jdandy]

Originally Posted by Timobi

Only have about 20 hours on the c2600 but truly overall I just hear marginal improvements. The MC phono is better for sure. But the overall system edginess and brightness remain. Now to be fair, the Triton 1's are dang revealing speakers. Maybe the MC452 is not a good match but I see this setup in other members galleries.

Timobi.......At just 20 hours on your C2600 preamplifier you are a bit premature in your evaluation of its performance. At 100+ hours you will find the preamplifier has settled into a more permanent voice.

You didn't say how many hours are on your power amplifier but the same is true about the MC452. My experience with that power amplifier demonstarted it took over 120 hours, more like 150 hours of break-in to settle into its permanent voice. It was bright and aggressive for quite a period of time before finally presenting the full frequency range in proper perspective.

I would not spend much time trying to evaluate the C2600 or the MC452 until you reach about 150 hours. By that time you will have a preamplifier and power amplifier that is astonishing. Be patient. There is no fast track to audio component break-in. As has been suggested, let the components play 24/7 at various volume levels. After a week you will have the break-in behind you.