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Cary Audio SLP-05 First Impression

Hi,  I just received my Cary Audio SLP-5 tube preamp this weekend.  It’s only been less than 48 hours and I can’t wait to share my experience with my fellow A’goners. If I have to summarize my initial impression of this unit in one word, it would be:  WOW!!!

I don’t consider myself a true audiophile, so I don’t really have a strong audiophile vocabulary to describe the sound quality, but a few clichés come to mind:

  • sounds like the musicians are right there in my room
  • holographic 3D sound
  • dead quiet
  • sweet & non-fatiguing top end
  • deep bass

Couple of things I hope will continue to improve is a tiny bit more punchiness in the mid bass, and smoothing out some occasional graininess at the top end.

My strongest impression so far is the overall imaging of the sound, and the sense that I’m listening to live music.  Last night I had my system casually playing in the background when I was doing stuff around my apartment, and Eva Cassidy’s Live at Blues Alley album came on.   I was suddenly drawn to the music, and for the first time ever, I finally understand what the description ’sounds like the musicians are right there in my room’ means.   It was surreal.   It brought a big smile to my face.  It was simply beautiful.   Need I say more?

This is the first line level tube preamp I’ve ever owned.  I do own the Herron VTPH-2A tube phono preamp.   Now I know what all that fuss and craze of tube pre/power amps are about.   I guess you simply have to experience it to appreciate it.   I still feel my Parasound JC2 and JC5 combo sounds great, and I am not planning to get rid of them anytime soon.   It’s just that the Cary SLP-05 completely opens up a new music dimension that I’ve never experienced before, and so far it’s been very pleasant.

I will consider doing the ‘Ultimate Upgrade’ offered by Cary at $1600 at some point.   Please feel free to share your experience If you are a SLP-05 owner and have done this upgrade.

I have purchased so many components in the last couple of years based on suggestions and comments that I received, and stuff I read in this forum.  So thanks to those who continue to contribute and share their experiences to fellow members. 

Finally, a big shout-out to @ghdprentice for your suggestion of tube preamps and brought up the Cary brand name in one of my other discussions.  This preamp is certainly a keeper.

PS:  there are a couple of changes Cary had made to the latest production of SLP-05.  It now comes with a universal remote control.  The same one that they sell for $190 on their website, instead of a basic 3 buttons remote that I read from some older reviews.   Also they no longer recommend stacking the control unit on top of the power unit, and therefore those indentations on the top of the power unit are gone.  It is simply a flat surface now.   Actually to my surprise, the power unit runs much hotter than the control unit.  I always thought the control unit would run hotter because that is where the vacuum tubes sit.

PPS: My unit was shipped with the blue power LED missing.  After contacting Cary Audio support, they told me it was most likely dislodged due to rough handling by Fedex.  So the unit is now going back and i would have to wait for a replacement.   That sucks, but kudos to the customer support folks at both Cary Audio and Music Direct for their great service!

Thanks for reading.

128x128xcool
xcool's avatar
xcool OP
273 posts
 

Here are the things that I was told to try:

- unplug all the source connectors, and power up the unit and see if the meter readings go back to normal. 

- check the fuses on the power unit. 

- make sure the unit is not on mute. 

- he did notice from the pictures i sent that my tubes were not inserted all the way in. He was correct.  They really weren’t pushed all the way in because i was afraid if i use too much force, i might break the tubes.  I ended up trying to push them down with a little more force and they all went further in and were seated properly.  Somehow  I was able to play it while the tubes were not completely inserted for a good 3 weeks.  Anyway, this didn’t solve the problem either. 

- Finally I was told to switch my sources to different connectors.  I had a balanced source and a unbalanced source at XLR2 and Aux1.  So I changed them to XLR1 and Aux2.  That didn’t work, but I found some other problem.  After i switched the connections,  I turned the unit on at XLR1, and no sound was coming out.   I then turned the source dial towards Aux2.   It skipped over XLR2 and Aux1.  When the dial landed on Aux2, all the LED lights went off, as if I have powered off the unit, but the power unit remained on.  I then switched the dial back to Aux1, the power LED came back on, and after a minute or so, the ready light came on, much like the normal power on routine.  It was pretty messed up.  I made a youtube video and sent it to Cary, but haven’t heard back since.  Here’s the video:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpWUXSan4Ig

 

 

 

immatthewj
2,198 posts
 

Yes, the tubes fit tightly in those sockets. Personally, I would prefer to grip the tube by the base when I inserted it or removed it, but that was one of the first things I noted about this pre that I thought was flawed about the design--the fact that the tube sockets are recessed about 2" below the top of the pre, & unless you have tubes with higher than usual bases, you can’t do that. I was a bit worried about breaking something on the board by pushing to hard, myself.

As far as the plate voltage & plate current, I am definitely not an electrician or electronically minded, but I was thinking that those were indications of what was going through the tubes (ie "plate"), but  Cary didn’t suggest anything about the tubes.  (I thought it was indicating the bias of the preamp tubes.)

I have to find my computer headphones in order to hear anything that I am watching on my computer, so I will give that a go later on. With everything that is going on, I am kind of thinking that I would be inclined to take the refund from MD, but, will you have to eat the cost of the upgrade?

 

xcool's avatar
xcool OP
273 posts
 

Hey @immatthewj,  I assume MD will give me the full refund, but I didn't ask explicitly.   

I'm pretty disappointed with this issue.  How unlucky can it be to have 2 defective units in a row, even though the first one was very minor.

ghdprentice
7,186 posts
 

@xcool

Really sorry to hear your experience… it must be incredibly disappointing.

I am really lucky, I have a great dealer whom I have worked with for twenty years. If I have a concern of some kind, he comes over and adjusts things. I had a weak meter on my amp… he gave me a set of better monoblocks and let me use (to compare) for an extra six weeks because I was enjoying it. If something ever failed… I have no doubt he would be over that day (or the next) with a loaner of better quality allowing me to have fun with it while he fixed whatever it was.

 

Also, he knew I would enjoy it… so he dropped off a set of $17K Nordost interconnects for a couple weeks. I really enjoyed them… although I was really starting to like them and had to take them out of my system because I was starting to like them too much.

avanti1960
1,490 posts
 

xcool,

definitely get the power supply chassis out from under that shelf, it has a tube rectifier and gets fairly warm.  mine got very warm so i pulled it out and just put it on the top shelf under the preamp chassis in stacked arrangement.  much much cooler now.  

sorry for your units trouble, bummer.  

i had an issue under warranty where it would not power up the tubes.  the easily found and replaced the bad component.  

when mine was in for the repair i replaced it with a basic solid state preamp.  when my cary came back i could not believe how amazing it sounded in comparison to the solid state preamp.  it has been working perfectly for over a year now and i love the sound so much i will just get it fixed if it ever has another problem but i do believe strongly the power supply chassis needs good ventilation.  

 

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