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kevinmi

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Posts posted by kevinmi

  1. 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).

  2. 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.

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  3. 4 hours ago, Shakeydeal said:

    I did try NOS tubes. I’m not saying it was bad, it was just too lush and not resolving at all. I can see where it might fit into some systems that are lean and/or bright. I have found that to be the Cary house sound as I didn’t care for the SLI-80 Signature either. But I have heard that the F1 versions are much improved.


    Shakey

    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.

  4. 7 hours ago, Shakeydeal said:

    Your search might lead you to relegate the Cary to the second system.

    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!

  5. 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..

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  6. 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

  7. 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. 

  8. 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.

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