Primaluna EVO 400 vs. stock Cary SLP-05 preamp?

Good choice imo.

I also vote for the SLP-05.  I owned the 05 as well as the 98 and the o5 was significantly better in my experience.  The fact that your modded 98 was better than a stock 05 is very impressive!  I'm curious to see how the upgraded 05 stacks up.

Curious to see what you think about the upgrade. 
I, too, had the 98, then F1 98, then 05.  
I also considered the ultimate upgrade, but ended up switching to a different preamp. 

Let us know what happens with the upgrade. 

The Cary Audio SLP-05 Ultimate Upgrade is complete. Haven’t done extensive listening yet, but initial impressions are very good. It’s at least as good as the Formula 1 SLP-98p, and seems better in some regards. Very tight bass, providing a good foundation fot the music. Great imaging. Very sweet vocals.
Worth the money to me. If you can afford the preamp, go for the upgrade.
BTW, Cary has significant sale prices on both preamps.

@cakids Have you compared the Cary linestage to any other premaps (such as arc ref6, vac renissance mk v etc)?