Cary SLP 98 vs Benchmark LA4

To @billpete are you looking for Silver or. Black, and the older model with softer and more rounded edges on the knobs or the newer units with the sharp edges on the knobs and volume control?  Look at the images to see what I'm referring to.  Some of us here keep eyes out for gear for fun and can pass it along if someone pops up in different places. 

Black matches my other components and all things being equal, I would choose black. If the best one was silver or red, I'd probably go for it. That said, I do keep my options open and other suggestions pique my curiosity as well.

To Ozzy62

What was it that you didn't like about the SLP 98 or the Benchmark? Most of the feedback that I am seeing on the LA4, is that it's too clean or sterile. That seems strange to me if it plays back what was recorded accurately but it sounds as though it is taking the life out of the recordings somehow. Not sure, but enough bad is being said that I'd likely steer clear of it.

As to the Cary, there are a lot of differences in vintage, upgrades and even tubes. I have found major differences in various tubes (nearly all of them very old vintage) over the years with my Cary phono stage. Interesting that you tried two very different products as well, one tube and one very modern SS. One of my thoughts is to bring tubes into my cd listening. Something I've never had but am interested to try. Cary and a lot of other preamps would do that for me. 

The Benchmark ultimately added a “sheen” to the overall sonic picture. Although it was dynamic and pretty transparent on first listen, it grew fatiguing over time.

My version of the Cary preamp was at the opposite end of the spectrum. It was warm and lush to a fault. No snap or leading edge of a note. Like I said above, later and upgraded versions are probably a different animal.

BTW, I owned these two preamps 20+ years apart.

Thanks for the reply

LA4 is pretty new, SLP 98 goes waaaaaaaaaaay back, 27 years. I guess they thought enough of it to keep bringing it back with upgrades. The PH301 was similar and then on to the PH302, probably not a great deal different but I don't know. I have the first one and am still very happy with it. The 98 is still talked about by many people, as you know. I don't really get upgrade-itis, I just need a replacement for a tired old pre. Always wanted to try a full tube pre anyway. I've heard at least a few people claim that my old pre (Parasound PLD2000) had a tubey sound anyway. Whether it did or didn't, I can't really say. I just found it pleasant in my system. An old buddy of mine used a CJ, not sure of model and it was very nice in his system.