Cary Audio SLP 98L Formula One with HT Bypass! Reviews

5 Rating 1 Reviews

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Denny L. Parker, CO

Unverified Reviewer

“Do you get frustrated with audio components that tend to sound bright? I sure do. There seems to be a fine line between resolution, definition, naturalness and this weary, etched, bright sound. My current 6SN7 preamp is a hybrid, with FET output buffer, and falls into this camp - and I couldn't tube-roll out of it or soften things upstream with a different dac. Enter the all-tube Cary SLP-98L with the Formula One Mods and direct coupling. The reviews of the original model don't do this one justice. You know you're listening to a tube preamp...the tonal delineations, air, width and depth, layering are all there, but so are pace, incredible dynamics, and balance at both frequency extremes. Some preamps emphasize the upfront music "attacks" to the exclusion of the ambiance and trailing, lingering of the "retreat" of the music. I think this contributes to the brightness. This SLP-98L gets both the attack and decay just right...and it has tons of detail with great bass slam (with the right tubes) and boogey factor. I didn't spend too much time with the stock Chinese tubes, knowing their warm but not too interesting sound, and having a pretty good stash of NOS 6SN7 types. After some fun experimentation, I settled on a pair of Raytheon VT231's for the front tubes and a pair of Sylvania GTA's for the rears. This is a particularly tuneful and soulful combination that I can listen to for hours and just want to come back for more. Another nice thing about the 98L is that it has home theater bypass. It uses the vacant phono inputs for the HT bypass inputs so that you don't have to sacrifice the second pair of outputs as in the 98P. Additionally, you must turn the unit off to engage the HT bypass, thus saving tube life and electricity - a better implementation in my mind. This is undoubtedly one of the best audio decisions I've ever made (made some turkeys too). Thanks Kevin for steering me in the right direction.!”

Helpful Report

Posted 10 years ago