I’d pick up a used Cary SLP-05 preamp and then send it in to them for the Ultimate Upgrade. Huge improvement over the stock unit. smoother and cleaner with better low level resolution.
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@russ69 I lose track of time, but it seems like about a year and a half or so ago I saw Upscale Audio was selling a SLP98 with the upgrade. Was that the one you bought? I was looking at that one with interest, especially because I think it had a phono stage(?), & I've kind of had vynyl on my bucket list (I don't think I am going to achieve that one, however) but I did note it didn't have balanced ins & outs & since I paid what I considered (at the time) a bundle for my balanced Kimber Silver Streaks, I guess that may have been my excuse not to buy something I couldn't afford. I actually got my SLP05 from Cary's preowned page. I justified also getting The Ultimate Upgrade because then I got free shipping. That kind of logic is part of why I will not be a wealthy man when I die. Although I said that I do not feel the same warmth from my '05 as I do from my '90, I did not mean that was necessarily a bad thing. I won't call anything "natural" sounding anymore, because I don't know what "natural" is supposed to sound like. I guess, ideally, maybe I would like to hear what they hear inside the recording studio? While I enjoyed what I felt was a "warm" sound from my 12au7 SLP90, what I get from my 6sn7 SLP90 is great resolution & detail (which I suppose is what "imaging" is) and a larger sound stage (within my small listening room). Not that the SLP90 doesn't reproduce detail & imaging, just not nearly as well & to the extent that my '05 does. I suspect that is something that your 6SN7 SLP98 does as well. I lack the Golden Ear & the vocabulary to write about this subject, but if anything, I would describe the sound I have with the SLP05 now in the system as being rather "liquid." Which at one time I think I might have also said about my SLP90, just a warmer "liquid" and not as much of it. |
If you are interested in playing vinyl, Atma-Sphere MP-3 is best in your price. Not exactly warm but accurate is more desirable. True balanced means pricey IC are not needed. I use $50 Mogami. The built in phono stage is as good or better than an outboard stage surely more than $6K. And it is big advantage not to have another pricey IC. |
If you want to get a warmer sound from your SLP-05 try some NOS tubes. I love the old Sylvania tubes in it. Fuller and smoother then the stock tubes and just all around better sound. If you want a much warmer sound try NOS RCA tubes. I prefer the detail of Sylvania’s but everyone has a different taste and depends on the rest of your equipment. Try Brent at audiotubes.com. He’ll be a great help and his page tells a lot about the sound of different types of NOS tubes. A tube change can greatly alter the sound. With new production tubes there sometimes isn’t as huge a sound difference. Some are just bright and edgy. |
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