Cary Audio: Tube preamp (SLP-98) paired with (SA-200.2) solid state amplifier?

98 does not have the dimensionality of the 05 from my a/b and trials.  98 is the more tubey of the two however. 

Received my SLP-98 (tube) preamplifier and SA-200.2 (solid state) amplifier. Only have about 60 hours on both so far with stock tubes in the 98. A birdie told me don’t listen to either seriously until you have at least 80-100 hours on them and optimally 200 hours to be real listening. Wow, that’s some break-in time. It’s a bit of a roller coaster right now listening to the sound change as both units break in. Keeping my fingers crossed I can achieve another level of sound stage depth with some tube rolling this weekend.

I've owned an SLP-98 for maybe 10 years now & have been very happy with it. Using it with a SS CJ MF2500A amp. Personally I wouldn't call the SLP-98 particularly "tubey" sounding. Depends on what other preamps you're comparing it to of course.

I'd be interested in how it works out for you, with tube rolling, etc.

You need to do "serious listening" (furrowed brow, flop sweat from anxiety generated by the mystery of exactly when it will break in) anyway to really enjoy the exact point when the stuff finally breaks through to sounding  settled, otherwise how will you know?

UPDATE: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHH !

At 80 hours of break-in, a good friend let me borrow a subset of his nice tube collection. Removed the stock harsh sounding stock EH 6SN7s tubes, started rolling. Settled on a quad set of NOS Sylvania 6SN7GTs.

In the same manner as occurred with my heavily upgraded SLI-80 integrated tube amp, all of the sudden the veil came off the new Cary SLP-98L tube preamp and SA-200.2 amplifier. Instantly more open, airy, more lunch, FULL and DEEP sound with an extra tall and wide sound stage presented itself. Okay, time to exhale, giving up my former tube amp was not a mistake but now my larger multi-driver electrostatic speaker truly sing again.

SHOCKED:
Now this is going beyond my expectations, exceeding ALL of my former solid state and modified tube amplifiers already. Everything I read prior to this point about this pre/amp combo is not only true, it’s incredible.

My buddy reminded me this new SA-200.2 amp runs full Class-A operation in the first 75 watts, and i can really tell. So under-rated.

Can’t wait to get my own permanent set of tubes and apparently it can take upwards of 200 hours to break in the amp, so there is more to come. I had the option of returning the amp in the first 30 days. No way, it’ not going anywhere but here. Definitely a long term keepers set, and the new SA-200.2 amp is probably one of the best values on the market today in its range, and then some. Yes, I’ve heard PASS, AB, Krell, Threshold, Nakamichi Stasis, Audio Note, and lots of vintage stuff. Cary Audio nailed it with this new SA-200.2 amp for larger speakers.

If there is any more interest, i’ll report back at 200 hours.