Power Amp To Go With Cary SLP98P Preamp
I just got a Cary SLP98P Preamp and right now I am using a Primaluna Dialogue 5 Power Amp. Thinking about getting a Cary power amp to match the preamp. Right now I am looking at either the solid state 200.2 ES power amp at 200 watts per channel or the Cary CAD 120s mkII tube power amp at 110 watts or 60 watts in triode. Cary has a sale right now and wanted to take advantage. I have Ryan 630 floorstander speakers I am using right now. Also have a pair of Harbeth 3PSRs and Triangle ESW floorstanders I sometimes use. Small room(9 feet by 12 feet) right now but will be moving to a bigger room later. I am partial to tubes but like the simplicity of the solid state option unless the sound isn't there. Any opinions? Thanks for any help.
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Heard lots of good things about this Preamp. Should I trade it in or look for a different power amp. Any suggestions? I have no experience with Cary or PrimaLuna products, but if I were to hazard a guess as to which of the two components is the weaker link **in your particular application** I would think the amp is the likeliest candidate. The reason I say that is that a number of PrimaLuna amps have unusually high output impedances, and if (as I suspect) your Dialogue Five is one of them that would make it a less than optimal match for the low (4 ohm nominal) impedance of your Ryan speakers (and perhaps for the Triangle speakers as well, although I couldn’t find much information about them). For example, in JA’s measurements of the Dialogue Premium amplifier the following statement appears:
Also, if you do choose to replace the amp I believe you would be very happy with the XA30.8 that was recommended by Three_Easy_Payments. I say that as a very happy owner of the somewhat less powerful and less expensive Pass XA25. Both amps, btw, are **far** more powerful than their published power ratings suggest. (Avoid the XA30.5, btw, as its input impedance is too low to be a good match for your preamp). Good luck. Regards, -- Al |
dylanfan, I paired my Cary SLP-98 tube preamplifier with the following amplifiers, successfully: Quicksilver Mono 120 (my current monoblock tube amps) Cary V12R (stereo tube amp) Cary SA-200.2 (stereo solid state amp) Inspire Hot Rod (stereo tube amp) All combinations sounded nice for their perspective power ranges and related speakers used. My feedback is not from specs, from real use. re: Pass Labs. Nelson indicated to me a year ago he has several customers running the SLP-98 tube preamps with his .5 and .8 version PASS amps. He indicated this is a popular combo as well, fwiw. The SLP-98 preamp combo with the Cary SA-200.2 was very nice, smooth, dynamic, nice sound stage, plenty of power. With the right Interconnects, it was a nice combination for solid state in my setup. With your Ryan 630 speakers and Nomex drivers (I’ve built something similar), you could pair them up with a nice Rel subwoofer for added bottom end and spend your money on a "musical" amplifier, tube or solid state. I’d guess you are searching for something more, what? A few come to mind: Tube: Quicksilver Mono 60s (tube), Quicksilver Mono 120s (tube) SS: Cary SA-200.2, Pass X30.8, PASS X60.8, Van Alstine FET 400, Parasound JC5, PS Audio BHK 250. ----------------------------------------------------------- Your preamp is sensitive to tube, cap, and interconnect changes. Two questions: -What brand (new or NOS) tubes are installed in your SLP98 now? -What do you not like about the Primaluna Dialogue 5 pairing now? |
I thanks for all the info guys! I like my Dialog 5 Power amp with the Cary Preamp. To me it sounds great. I have just heard the synergy of a Cary Preamp with a Cary amplifier would be a logical move. Cary has a 30% off 30th anniversary sale so I thought it would be a good time to give it a try. I had the moving coil phono option added along with every upgrade and better tubes. Trying to simplify and getting ready to retire in a year or so so I thought I would put together a good system before I have to cut back. I really like the tube sound. Heard nothing but great things about Pass Labs and even though not tubes it might be a great option. I can live with any of the equipment I have but always looking for a little better. |
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