I have owned a Crown DC-300A for over 30 years and it has performed consistently with no need of any repairs during this time period. It is paired with a Mcintosh C-28 and the speakers are Klipsch K-Horns. I have always been very happy. I hear a lot of people telling me to get a McIntosh 275 since the tube amp will mellow the K-Horns sound. I have also seen a lot of people with tube replacement problems. I do not want something that might begin a lot of repairs, since for over 30 years I have never had a repair bill with my current system. I am very happy with the sound, but since I have never had a tube amp am not sure of the reality of a significantly better sound if I change to a tube amp. I also have a made in the U.S.A Marantz 250 amp with a 3300 pre-amp. Comments of changing to that power source.
Well, I commented on your other thread about the Crown which is now in the solid state forum. My first reaction to this one is if you truly are happy with it, then stick with it. But I will tell you something that I've learned from experience with both my own systems and as a long term member (30+ years) of the New Jersey Audio Society.
Many years ago my audio system was a lot like yours in the sense it used very efficient horn speakers. Home built Altec Lansing "Voice of the Theater" speakers along with a Marantz 3300 SS preamp. The power amps were basically Heath W6M clones. For years I was content with the sonics of this system. Then one day I was at a "music salon" 😉 type of audio store looking for records. There they had a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10 speakers going in the next room. And it didn't take me long at all to realize that my Altecs were flawed and I wanted these Dahlquists.
As you should know speakers make the most difference in the sound of a system. So I bought a pair of good used DQ-10's that were mirror imaged and had the stands. The accuracy, imaging and overall improved "musicality"
was like night and day! I was also using a Marantz 3300 at the time having "upgraded" from a Marantz 7, or so I thought. I'm not sure the 3300 was made here if it's a Sony Marantz.
The look and flexibility of the 3300 is superb. That is what it was designed for. But when I replaced mine with a Great American Sound (GAS) Thalia SS preamp, designed by the late great James Bongiorno and build in the U.S., another easy to hear sonic improvement became very obvious. (My only dislike of the Thalia and Thalia II is the internal DC offset that requires readjusting.)
So what am I trying to tell you. As a NJAS member I've heard many dozens (perhaps well over a hundred) of different systems both in peoples homes and at audio stores. And they range from modest to very expensive and complex. Virtually never do they use horn speakers. But that doesn't mean that they can't sound good. I believe it's a matter of pairing them with the right equipment.
You do not need a McIntosh 275. It's way overkill. And the sonics for the money ratio is poor IMO. With your horns 25 to 50 watts will work well. And I say poor because the trifilar OPT, while efficient and "technologically cool", affects the sound. If you want to stay vintage there are plenty of choices like Heath, Dynaco, Fisher & Scott etc. Or make your own. And yes, tubes today are problematic because they are not made well anymore. So you must purchase from reputable dealers like Jim McShane who actually tests what he sells.
While speakers make a big difference in what you hear so does a phone cartridge. Amplifiers make the least obvious change in most cases. But I think your case is the exception. That Marantz 3300 is beautiful but musically flawed. I would start by changing that soiled state thing. Almost anything tube or good SS would be superior. I know, I had one. They use cheap op-amps in the signal path. They designed that thing for numbers but surely never really listened to it. That's where I would start.
Many years ago my audio system was a lot like yours in the sense it used very efficient horn speakers. Home built Altec Lansing "Voice of the Theater" speakers along with a Marantz 3300 SS preamp. The power amps were basically Heath W6M clones. For years I was content with the sonics of this system. Then one day I was at a "music salon" 😉 type of audio store looking for records. There they had a pair of Dahlquist DQ-10 speakers going in the next room. And it didn't take me long at all to realize that my Altecs were flawed and I wanted these Dahlquists.
As you should know speakers make the most difference in the sound of a system. So I bought a pair of good used DQ-10's that were mirror imaged and had the stands. The accuracy, imaging and overall improved "musicality"
was like night and day! I was also using a Marantz 3300 at the time having "upgraded" from a Marantz 7, or so I thought. I'm not sure the 3300 was made here if it's a Sony Marantz.The look and flexibility of the 3300 is superb. That is what it was designed for. But when I replaced mine with a Great American Sound (GAS) Thalia SS preamp, designed by the late great James Bongiorno and build in the U.S., another easy to hear sonic improvement became very obvious. (My only dislike of the Thalia and Thalia II is the internal DC offset that requires readjusting.)
So what am I trying to tell you. As a NJAS member I've heard many dozens (perhaps well over a hundred) of different systems both in peoples homes and at audio stores. And they range from modest to very expensive and complex. Virtually never do they use horn speakers. But that doesn't mean that they can't sound good. I believe it's a matter of pairing them with the right equipment.
You do not need a McIntosh 275. It's way overkill. And the sonics for the money ratio is poor IMO. With your horns 25 to 50 watts will work well. And I say poor because the trifilar OPT, while efficient and "technologically cool", affects the sound. If you want to stay vintage there are plenty of choices like Heath, Dynaco, Fisher & Scott etc. Or make your own. And yes, tubes today are problematic because they are not made well anymore. So you must purchase from reputable dealers like Jim McShane who actually tests what he sells.
While speakers make a big difference in what you hear so does a phone cartridge. Amplifiers make the least obvious change in most cases. But I think your case is the exception. That Marantz 3300 is beautiful but musically flawed. I would start by changing that soiled state thing. Almost anything tube or good SS would be superior. I know, I had one. They use cheap op-amps in the signal path. They designed that thing for numbers but surely never really listened to it. That's where I would start.
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