@charliehorse, as I mentioned previously, preamp tubes (and those are 6SN7s in the SLP98) do not get roasting hot like amp output tubes do, but I’d still like to give them some breathing room up top. I just did a quick search on the internet and it appears as if it goes back to ’93 (I thought is was further back than that) & listed for $1350. The tube complement was two 12AX7s ( a small signal tube) and two 6SN7s and two 6SL7s which are the same size as each other but larger than the 12AX7s. If you’ve looked at any pictures of it, you have noted that it is an enclosed chassis, so perhaps one does not need to be as cautious about having it in a somewhat restricted space. After a few hours of listening, my SLP05 and it’s power supply are very warm to the touch, but not hot enough that I cannot leave my hand on them. (The SLP98 also has a separate power supply, and I am thinking that the 70 does as well.) If you do start leaning in the direction of a 98, you might reach out to Cary and see what they think about the space you have that it would live in. You will probably have to email them, as I think that their tech support no longer talks on the phone to people about product questions and problems. In the days of old, customer support was a huge selling point for Cary as far as I was concerned.
Here is what someone had to say about their Cary SLP70:
"I actually have another Cary Audio SLP-70 that has been highly modified that I now use for phono only duties. These units really do have nice phono stages as do most tube amps of this vintage. Unlike the Conrad Johnson tube preamps, the Cary SLP-70 does not seem overly warm or sweet. It provides a clear, clean, and open presentation and never does anything to get in the way of the music. It reveals the details of the music, but not at the expense of blunting the transients."