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Audio Research Preamp with Cary Amp?

I'm putting together a system from scratch with almost no way of auditioning everything together beforehand due to limited dealers in my area. So far I have a set of Cary 805C amps, which I plan to use with ProAc D38's.

Looking for a preamp to go with these, I've sorta narrowed my search down to the Cary SLP 98 or the Audio Research LS17. Based on reviews, I'm leaning towards the LS17 because I like the idea of matching the warm quality of the 805C's with a slightly more neutral preamp. I believe the SLP 98 has a more "tubey" presentation with slightly rolled off frequency extremes. The LS17 seems like a decent compromise, and there are plenty used ones available.

Has anybody heard the Cary 805's with the LS17 or other similar AR preamp. Is it heresy to use Cary and Audio Research together?
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brf
1,715 posts
 
The Cary SLP-98 can be tailored to suit your personal taste and needs. Based on your criteria, a SLP-98 directly coupled with F1 upgrades would be an ideal match. The Cary SLP-98 uses the very versatile 6SN7 tubes which you can roll to further tailor the sound to your personal taste.

The AR17 is a fine amp and I have not heard it with the 805s, but please note that you are limited to tube selection due to the application of the 6H30 tube.
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mchu168 OP
7 posts
 
Is the F1 only available from Upscale Audio and what's the ballpark cost for swapping out the tubes that make a difference? Afraid of opening up a can of worms.
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,752 posts
 
I would do the Cary for system matching and for the reasons Brf mentions ...

Chuck
rhljazz
1,255 posts
 
The pairing you suggest may well work, but the sonic traits of each don't seem like an ideal combination. I would also choose the SLP98 over the LS17.
brf
1,715 posts
 
The F1 is Upscale's proprietary branding, but you can order the same pre-amp modification through any Cary dealer or send you existing pre-amp back to Cary for an update. 6SN7 tubes are not that expensive with a nice pair going for around $65/pr up to the best available at $250/pr.
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