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Thread: My 2(.1) cents

  1. #11
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Lancaster(-ish), UK

    Posts: 16,937
    I'm ChrisB.

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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).

  2. #12
    Join Date: Jan 2012

    Location: United States

    Posts: 54
    I'm David.

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    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.
    Last edited by Hoffer; 16-04-2012 at 01:19.

  3. #13
    Join Date: Mar 2012

    Location: London and Somerset

    Posts: 2,097
    I'm Dave.

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    ! would love to hear your system,amazing

  4. #14
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

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    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?

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  5. #15
    Join Date: Sep 2010

    Location: West Midlands, UK

    Posts: 646
    I'm Lee.

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    What a fantastic system!
    Vinyl rig 1 - NAS Spacedeck / FR64s / Lab 12 Melto / Denon SUT / Ortofon GM SPU. Vinyl rig 2 Mono Set Up - Lenco GL75 c/w Jelco 750D / AT33 Mono / EAR 834P Modded. Amplifiers - Audio Note Empress Silver / Hattor Passive Pre. Digital - Fanless Mini PC / Lampizator TRP / Linear PSU / Hummingboard Network audio adaptor. Speakers - Horns.pl Mummy's. Cables are Audio Note / Albedo / Furutech Speaker wire. Power conditioner is a Gigawatt PC2 EVO

  6. #16
    Join Date: Jan 2012

    Location: United States

    Posts: 54
    I'm David.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by jollyfix View Post
    ! would love to hear your system,amazing
    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Henley View Post
    What a fantastic system!
    Thanks guys. I really appreciate the kind comments.

    Quote Originally Posted by Marco View Post
    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?

    Marco.
    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

  7. #17
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    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

    ATB,
    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


  8. #18
    Join Date: Jan 2012

    Location: United States

    Posts: 54
    I'm David.

    Default



    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
    Last edited by Hoffer; 16-04-2012 at 15:06.

  9. #19
    Join Date: Nov 2008

    Location: North Down /Northern Ireland/ UK

    Posts: 19,484
    I'm Neil.

    Default

    Beautiful system


    Regards D S D L

  10. #20
    Join Date: Jan 2008

    Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK

    Posts: 110,012
    I'm AudioAl'sArbiterForPISHANTO.

    Default

    Hi David,

    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
    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!

    So what is the retail price for the SLP-05?

    Marco.
    Main System

    Turntable: Heavily-modified Technics SL-1210MK5G [Mike New bearing/ETP platter/Paul Hynes SR7 PSU & reg mods]. Funk Firm APM Achromat/Nagaoka GL-601 Crystal Record Weight/Isonoe feet & boots/Ortofon RS-212D/Denon DL-103GL in Denon PCL-300 headshell with Funk Firm Houdini/Kondo SL-115 pure-silver cartridge leads.

    Paul Hynes MC head amp/SR5 PSU. Also modded Lentek head amp/Denon AU-310 SUT.

    Other Cartridges: Nippon Columbia (NOS 1987) Denon DL-103. USA-made Shure SC35C with NOS stylus. Goldring G820 with NOS stylus. Shure M55E with NOS stylus.

    CD Player: Audiocom-modified Sony X-777ES/DAS-R1 DAC.

    Tape Deck: Tandberg TCD 310, fully restored and recalibrated as new, by RDE, plus upgraded with heads from the TCD-420a. Also with matching TM4 Norway microphones.

    Preamps: Heavily-modified Croft Charisma-X. LDR Stereo Coffee. Power Amps: Tube Distinctions Copper Amp fitted with Tungsol KT-150s. Quad 306.

    Cables & Sundries: Mark Grant HDX1 interconnects and digital coaxial cable, plus Mark Grant 6mm UP-LCOFC Van Damme speaker cable. MCRU 'Ultimate' mains leads. Lehmann clone headphone amp with vintage Koss PRO-4AAA headphones.

    Tube Distinctions digital noise filter. VPI HW16.5 record cleaning machine.

    Speakers: Tannoy 15MGs in Lockwood cabinets with modified crossovers. 1967 Celestion Ditton 15.


    Protect your HUMAN RIGHTS and REFUSE ANY *MANDATORY* VACCINE FOR COVID-19!

    Also **SAY NO** to unjust 'vaccine passports' or certificates, which are totally incompatible with a FREE society!!!


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