kevinmi

This is slightly off topic, but I'll post it anyway. A couple months back, I broke my Cary SLP 98 preamp, which powers a Dennis Had Inspire Hot Rod amp. I had a Pioneer Elite receiver laying around that I bought for a future home theater system. I threw that in place of the tube equipment while the preamp was sent out for repairs. I could not get satisfactory sound no matter what I tried. It has a class D amp, and it doesn't sound good with music. Probably be fine with movies. I ended up buying another SLP 98 to use in the interim ( Cary is backed up 8 weeks on repairs).

I use it in my ultrasonic lp cleaner.

I got my second shot of the Pfizer vax yesterday. My arm is sore at the injection site, and I'm feeling tired and lazy. But then again, I feel tired and lazy everyday, so not as bad as I had imagined.I'm 65, have a pacemaker, have high blood pressure, cancer survivor. I figured the vax was the best route for me.

they are made from the tractrix formulation software that's been around for years. I'm not sure if it's the same as Edgar Horns, but probably.

I have huge tractrix horns on mine, I made them myself.

Volti makes kits for K-Horns http://www.voltiaudio.com/

I love that old stuff, it's what was popular when I was growing up. I like the Pioneer stuff the best, because I had a few of their receivers. I didn't know Technics made such an animal!

I got my first shot Wednesday in hopes of being around years from now!

I got my first shot of the Pfizer vax on Wednesday. Wondering who else has gotten a shot, and did you have any side effects.

I've always thought that was a good idea. I also wish someone would start a "where are they now?" thread to keep track of old members who no longer post.

Up here in car country, Elon Musk is considered a joke.

Nice looking kits, the EL-34 kit is out of stock right now.

I love my Inspire hot rod amp. Best sounding amp I've owned to date. There is a used inspire amp and preamp combo on US Audiomart right now for $2100 I believe.

I'm pretty sure the pandemic isn't over anywhere in the USA

You got a pair I could borrow?

Thanks to everyone who responded, there were very many good suggestions. I found a good deal on another Cary SLP-98p F1, and since I love my original so much, I decided it would be a good investment to buy a spare.I'm not sure how much longer Cary will be producing this fine sounding pre, and the prices are just going up on new and used units. The newer stuff from Cary after Dennis Had left isn't the same.

I've heard that also. I've never heard a stock unit, but I've read that the direct coupled option makes for a more accurate and faster sound. I do have big horns with 2 inch drivers , so my speakers can use a little mellow-ness thrown in the mix.

I rather doubt that, as it's one of the best rated preamplifiers out there for the money. I can't believe you weren't impressed with yours. Maybe you left in the factory supplied EH tubes? But you are partially right, because I'm thinking about buying a second one, so one will end up in a second system!

My amplifier will use all the above tubes, but in triode mode instead of pentode, which will have a different sound using the same tubes. I prefer EL-34 tubes in my system as compared to KT-88's or 120's or even 150's. But, and this is a big but, I use vintage tubes that are quite expensive. If you are going to use new production tubes, you aren't going to notice much of a difference because they are all built cheaply, using cheaper materials and such. Some are a little better that others, and some say the quality is improving, but there is still no comparing the two. Of course there are many other factors that will influence the sound, such as how the amplifier is built, the rest of the components in your system, etc. Everybody's system is different, so it's really a matter of your personal taste, and how much money you want to throw at it. I prefer the sound of the EL-34 tube type because of it's more warm, tubey sound in my system. KT-88 type tubes sound to sterile, more like solid state to me. But this is my system, which I have spent years refining to get the sound I want..

I just cleared 10 inches of fresh snow off the driveway!

I broke my beloved Cary SLP-98P-F1, so I sent it in for repairs. They are backlogged by a couple of months, so I'm looking for something to take it's place, and then be used for a second system later. Start climbing through your attic and see if you have any hidden treasures laying around. Thanks, Kevin

65 and been retired for 2 years now. It's a whole different world going from working overtime to not working at all. Still trying to figure out what to with retirement, or is having a plan even necessary? The most enlightening thing in my life was when I realized that you don't have to believe in silly rituals and dogma just because everyone else does.

I have 5 reel to reels, 1 works properly, one almost properly. The best advice I can give you is buy one from someone who refurbishes them, or buy one and have it gone through.

I was really into home theater when it first came out, and kept up with it for a decade or so, upgrading whenever there was a new breakthrough. After a while, it just started to sound to much like noise. I went back to two channel and never looked back. It's never sounded better, either.

Thanks for all the good comments so far, keep them coming. Here's some answers to questions and/or comments some have made. I am planning on getting my preamp repaired. It's a $5000.00 piece of equipment, so that's a no brainer. My speakers are fully modded K-Horns. The only thing stock is the bass bins, and those have been enclosed. Someone asked about my budget, which is a really good question, and one that drives a lot of my concerns. I can afford decent equipment, but I don't know how much I'd have to spend on solid state stuff to get a satisfactory sound. I used to have a McIntosh SS system before I got into tubes. I like the tube sound better, but I miss the convenience. There is new technology that I've not owned, like the chip amps. And I've never done streaming music. Here is my plan (today, it may change tomorrow}, I'm going to run two different systems, one tubes and analog: LP's, RTR, Cassette, plus a cd player .My other system will be solid state, and I'll venture into trying active crossovers, digital streaming, etc. I'm in the process of building another pair of modded K-Horns, so I will have similar speakers in both setups. I have another setup right now with a ss pre and a tube amp running a pair of Frazier Model 7's just to confuse me more... And Jeff Mattews, I just sold all three of my Corvettes this last Summer. I recently retired, and came to the conclusion that working on old cars isn't a hobby I want to pursue in my leisure!