Hovland HP-100 vs. CAT SL1 Ultimate: Feedback

I haven't heard the Hovland Pre but I know that one difference between the two is that the Hovland has only 16 dbs of gain .vs the Cat's 20 plus dbs. So the input sensitivity of the parnering amp is something to consider.I have owned a Cat SL1 Signature for 7 years now, and my system has undergone many changes but the constant has been the Cat. I was surprised to hear that jmsoul' Cat did not have enought gain for his .25mv cartridge, I used a troika (.1 mv) and it had plenty of gain to burn. This could also be assosciated with efficientcy of the associated speakers as with my Dunlavys driven by a Krell Ksa 250 it worked great. The sound was detailed,delicate, sweeet and dynamic as an erupting volcanoe with transperancy that put a lot of megabuck systems at the local dealers to shame. The Cat is very neutral in that it's sound will change consistenly with various changes in gear or accessory and will show any defficiency in associated equipement but nowhere near straightwire pure. Its sound is rich which I find to be a very pleasent coloration but nowhere near the syrupy Conrad Johnson sound. Its tonality is slightly on the darkside which is something to consider. Even till now I still feel it to be a tremendous bargon and enjoy every minut of owning it.

jmsoul, What did you prefer about the CAT, or did not like about the HP-100?

Musicluvr, The relatively low gain of the HP-100 line stage is a concern. Some of the amps I would like to audition favor high gain pre's.

Compared a HP-100 to my CAT signature modded with NOS GE smooth plates. No comparison, the CAT is way more dynamic, drops down into the low end with much more authority and the depth portrayal recreates the back of the stage with much bettter precision than the Hovland. BTW the CAT can drive my Benz Ruby 2 with ease. The HP-100 also has plenty of gain. HP-100 kills the CAT in looks.... very preety.

I just spent two days with a CAT Ultimate. The 26 dB gain in the line stage turned out to be too much for my system (Cary SLAM-100's power amps: 95 triode push/pull watts [don't have input spec's handy]). I think CAT provides some resistors to reduce its gain, but I did not have the manual nor the resistor packs to tame it.

Has anybody else had to reduce the gain on the CAT?

The CAT, in my system, had speed and bass to die for, no doubt about it. It had a low noise floor and maintained control over big dynamic swings. But it sounded aggressively bright, and it forced the music in a kind of hyper, fuel-injected way. The leading edge attacks were life-like, but the sustain and trailing hall sounds were stomped on by the subsequent notes. Stage depth seemed compromised and the overall sound seemed a tad dry.

I chalk the sound I got up to a gain mismatch and NOT necessarily to the CAT's normal characteristics. (I've heard the same forced quality from another high-gain pre.) The CAT also may not fit in with my cabling, amps, etc.

I hope to get an HP-100 in for an audition soon. If it sounds overly soft and euphonic, I'll revisit the CAT.

The CAT's speed and bass were pretty impressive. The HP-100 does look pretty--at least in the fold-outs. But I'm after personality, long walks with my LP's, an intimate relationship, and possible long-term commitment....