AudiogoN Forums: Cary SLP 03

Cary SLP 03

I noticed that this pre had a price drop by about 1k. I've found two rather luke warm reviews, so I want to get some feedback from actual owners on its performance. How does it compare to other pre's in its price range, like the Rogue gear, for example.

Does it responde well to tube rolling, and in your opinion, is it a much better value at its current price retail price of $1995.

Hawk28 (Threads | Answers | This Thread)

02-14-12

Responses (1-26 of 26)

Click title to read one, or click date to read all below it.

02-14-12 cary is trying to make the slp 03 a price leader at it's ne ... Audiooracle

02-14-12 Cary dealer disclosure--- as stated above by audiooracle, t ... Goldprintaudio

02-14-12 How would the sound of the slp 03 compare to a cj et-3? has ... Ktamura88

02-14-12 I previously owned the slp 05 not the 03. the output impedan ... Foster_9

02-14-12 Thanks for the responses. ktamura, you pose an interesting q ... Hawk28

02-14-12 I have this pre in combination with the new cary sa 200.2 po ... Kclone

02-16-12 I was a bit disappointed with the slp-03 which i owned for s ... Kiwi_1282001

02-16-12 I really enjoy mine and haven't wanted for anything else sin ... Stl114_nj

02-17-12 Forgot to mention above that the slp03 received a 2012 edito ... Goldprintaudio

02-17-12 Hi all ! just last week i bought a new slp-05 to replace my ... Bradluke0

02-18-12 Bradluke0 the slp 05 should be much better than the slp 03 i ... Foster_9

02-18-12 I would get the 05, but i can't stand not having input selec ... Kclone

02-19-12 Hi all ! yes , i agree on all points . i was trying to conv ... Bradluke0

02-19-12 I also bought an 05 after auditioning an 03. the 03 wasn't o ... Mikey8811

02-20-12 I agree with mikey8811. the slp-05 is not a lush pre-amp, a ... Kiwi_1282001

02-22-12 Would anyone consider the 03 "lush." i would cons ... Hawk28

02-22-12 Hawk28. you can reach your goal with tube rolling. i just ... Kclone

02-23-12 Thanks for the info, kclone. how do you like the sound with ... Hawk28

02-24-12 we run a set of the 12 au7 tesla tubes with the cary slp03 ... Audioconnection

02-26-12 Hawk28, yes, you shouldn't have to settle for just one or th ... Kclone

02-26-12 Kclone, the sound isn't harsh, but on some recordings the hi ... Hawk28

02-26-12 You can't have it all guys. if you want tubes to give a war ... Kiwi_1282001

02-26-12: Kclone
Upon further thought, Kiwi is right. I guess I try and get the best of both worlds with a tubbed pre and solid state amp. Of course there is a lot of variables in this hobby so nothing is really absolute.

Hawk28, good know you are not a hawkeye fan from Iowa. I'm a Cyclone fan!! Go State! :)

As far as harsh recordings, yes tubes can help, but so can speakers and cables ect... I have a lot of pop and rock and yes a lot of them can be bright or harsh. My Fritz Carbon 7s tame the harshness for the most part.
Kclone (System | Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)

02-27-12 The ss/tube combo is what i seek for the same reasons as you ... Hawk28

03-20-13 How does the slp 98 and 98f1 fit into this discussion? how ... Abrew19

03-20-13 How does the slp 98 and 98f1 fit into this discussion? how ... Abrew19