Hi David,
Now that's a special system. Very nice & thanks for letting us in to take a look. How do you like the Accuphase & what made you go for one of those over all of the other choices on offer? (I ask as a big fan of their gear old & new).
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Hi David,
Now that's a special system. Very nice & thanks for letting us in to take a look. How do you like the Accuphase & what made you go for one of those over all of the other choices on offer? (I ask as a big fan of their gear old & new).
Hey Chris. I was looking for a change from my McIntosh solid state amp. Mac makes some great amps, but its house sound just wasn't for me. I considered going the all-tube route, but was wary about about losing some of that tight, low end slam. Luckily I had a friend who let me borrow his A20 amp. Even at only 20 wpc, its Class A design offered an incredibly smooth sound (without being overly lush or warm) while still keeping control of the low end. Ad in the ridiculous build quality, and I was sold. Again I got lucky and found a great deal on the A50. It runs a little hot and is heavy as hell, but I love it.
:wow::wow::wow:!:stalks: would love to hear your system,amazing
Hi David,
Fantastic system with a good deal of lateral thinking in evidence, which I greatly respect! :)
Everything about it is wonderful, but I'm particularly intrigued by the Cary preamp, which is a brand that's always interested me, and something I'd look at if I ever changed my Croft. However it's not a brand which receives much promotion here in the UK, so how would you describe the basic sonic presentation of Cary amps?
I favour tube amps, which don't sound 'tubey', if you know what I mean, so euphonic coloration and syrupy warmth is not for me - but neither do I like a cold or clinically 'etched' sound. What I like is a wide-open and detailed musical presentation, but also one which 'flows', rhythmically, tunefully, and underpins music with weight and authority, with harmonic texture and depth, all of which ultimately is as true to the source signal as possible.
That's what I'm used to at the moment from the Croft. Based on that, do you think that the Cary would cut it? :cool:
Marco.
What a fantastic system!
Thanks guys. I really appreciate the kind comments.
Thanks for the comments Marco. Regarding the Cary, I really love my SLP-05. It throws a tremendous soundstage and mates well with my speakers, which really excel at 3 dimensional imaging. As for the amps, as you might have guessed, I was looking for many of the same characteristics as you when I switched from my Mac. I had a chance to listen briefly to a pair of CAD 805 monos with a pair of B&W 802ds, and came away really impressed. The midrange was exceptional. That being said, I decided against the Cary's because I too was fearful of my system taking on too much warmth. I wouldn't say their house sound is syrupy, but if you're accustomed to OTL type amps (which I believe the Crofts are), you might find the Cary's a bit more colored than you're used to. Of course, a lot depends on system matching, so please don't read this as a recommendation against Cary amps.
If you do decide to give them a listen, definitely go for their mono block amps like the 805s. Also, Dennis Had (original owner and designer) sold the company a few years ago, so I'd be wary of any brand new designs. The company seems to be spending more R&D on HT-type products these days, so they may be shifting their corporate strategies.
Hope that helps,
David
Hi David,
Thanks for the info, which was helpful. However, you've misunderstood me slightly.
I use a Croft preamp, not a Croft power amp. The power amp I have is a KT-120 based 50W Class A push-pull design, from a small company, called Tube Distinctions.
I have no intention of ever changing the latter, but at some point I *may* look at a high-end valve preamp alternatives to the Croft, and that is where I may investigate Cary, solely in terms of their preamps.
I rather liked the look of yours (it is just a preamp and power supply, is it not?) and so sought a description of how it sounded :cool:
ATB,
Marco.
:doh:
My bad Marco. I hadn't had my sufficient dose of caffeine when I read your email. Now that I'm properly medicated, I can tell you my SLP-05 suffers from none of the coloration that may plague the Cary tube amps. When I was demoing my speakers, I first heard them on a top-of-the-line Plinius ss system. It sounded great, of course, but a tad on the sterile side. With the Cary, I lost none of the attack I heard on the Plinius, but felt I gained a little more life and fluidity while maintaining a wide and deep soundstage.
Two words of caution, though, on the SLP-05. First, as a headphone amp, it sucks. This feature was an afterthought for me, but it's important to know nonetheless. Second, the Cary benefits greatly when using balanced cables with your amp. I had some impendence matching issues when I was running single ended, but it was quickly solved when I switched to balanced.
Cheers,
David
Ps - yes, it's just a preamp and power supply
Beautiful system :cool:
Regards D S D L
Hi David,
Noted, and that's pretty much what I expected and wanted to hear! For me, the SLP-05 is one of the most gorgeous looking preamps I've seen. It has the retro, yet elegant old-school 'functional' appearance that I love, especially as the PSU has those gorgeous VU meters, too! :eek:Quote:
My bad Marco. I hadn't had my sufficient dose of caffeine when I read your email. Now that I'm properly medicated, I can tell you my SLP-05 suffers from none of the coloration that may plague the Cary tube amps. When I was demoing my speakers, I first heard them on a top-of-the-line Plinius ss system. It sounded great, of course, but a tad on the sterile side. With the Cary, I lost none of the attack I heard on the Plinius, but felt I gained a little more life and fluidity while maintaining a wide and deep soundstage.
Two words of caution, though, on the SLP-05. First, as a headphone amp, it sucks. This feature was an afterthought for me, but it's important to know nonetheless. Second, the Cary benefits greatly when using balanced cables with your amp. I had some impendence matching issues when I was running single ended, but it was quickly solved when I switched to balanced.
Cheers,
David
Ps - yes, it's just a preamp and power supply
So what is the retail price for the SLP-05? :)
Marco.