Cary SLI-80 Signature F1 or Quicksilver Mid Monos?

I appreciate all of your help - I went ahead and purchased the SLI80 Signature with F1 upgrades and I'm very very pleased with it.

There is one observation that I would like to make, however. I initially was running the SLI80 directly from my DAC and I fluctuated between the SET (40wpc) and Ultralinear (80wpc) modes. I liked the SET mode because it had more midrange warmth and magic, although it lacked low end slam. I found myself switching to the Ultralinear mode for songs that benefitted from extra power.

After doing this for a while, I eventually bought a TAD150 Signature pre-amp and wow! My setup has benefitted tremendously. Now I can always run the amp in SET mode and the pre-amp has added a richness to the lower midrange and low frequencies that was absent before. I've read on other forums that the Cayin A88T (a similar amp) greatly benefits from the addition of a quality pre-amp and I can agree 100%.

Here's what 6moons.com had to say about adding a pre-amp to the Cayin A88T:
"As great as the Cayin 88T sounds as an integrated amplifier, it sounds even better -- more organic, more solid and more sophisticated -- when used as a straight ahead power amplifier. That's significant. If you're using a receiver or solid-state electronics and want to upgrade to tubes and/or separates, the Cayin 88T is an excellent place to start. Replace what you've got with the Cayin as an integrated and I'll bet you'll be pleased with what you purchased. Later, you can upgrade with a first-class preamplifier."
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/cayin/a88t_2.html

Has anyone else experienced this as well?

I've had the SLI-80 F1 for awhile and continue to be really happy with it but can't help with a comparison to the Quicksilver.

To Dsd-7's question about tubes - I certainly haven't tried all the options but in the EL-34 family my favorites so far are the RFT tubes and vintage Tesla's, not JJ. The RFT's seem to be easier to find in NOS condition than some of the popular European tubes. You'll find them under several possible brand names since Siemens, Telefunken and many others relabeled them, even Tandy under the Realistic brand. The Teslas have gotten increasingly difficult to find and very expensive.

If you don't want to deal with the vagaries of vintage tubes the reissue Gold Lion KT-77 is an excellent tube and is what I use for 'everyday' listening. As with all tubes it's a good idea to buy from a dealer who will test them and back them up. I've had great luck with with Jim McShane.

In the 6DJ8/6922 spot there are an incredible range of possibilities but a great alternative to the very high-dollar vintage brands is to use a 7DJ8/PCC88 instead. I've found good deals on NOS 7DJ8's from Siemens, Philips, Tungsram and Ei/Lorenz that sound wonderful and are identical in physical construction to their more expensive 6DJ8 counterparts.

Bwarfel, what were you favorite tubes with your Cary F1? I just bought a brand new stock SLI-80 with factory Electro-Harmonix tubes. I have ordered a few tubes that are burning in as we speak. So far I have bought...

NOS Mullard 6DJ8/6922's (A-frames, Blackburn factory code)
NOS Sylvania 6SN7WGTA (brown base Navy issued)
NOS Phillips 5AR4GYS rectifiers

Havn't replaced the output tubes yet, and still not sure about my current NOS tubes as they are still burning in. I am curious what tubes other SLI-80 owners have chosen and come to prefer.

To the original poster, I have not heard the Quicksilver Monos, but I can say the Cary is really impressive to my ears. I have no regrets whatsoever, and don't think you will go wrong with choosing Cary products, especially the SLI-80. FYI, my prior system was vintage Mcintosh solid state. It was really nice, but I was bitten by the tube bug.

I have had the F1 for awhile and have rolled virtually every tube that is possible with that amp. If you want a headphone amp and an integrated for speakers, the Cary is the real deal. You can virtually "tune" the amp to your liking.