Cary SLP 03

Hawk28. You can reach your goal with tube rolling. I just put some Mullards in this week and yes it is a more lush sound.

I would get the 05, but I can't stand not having input select on the remote. If Cary comes out with a new pre with a remote that has input select that can perform like the 05 then I would be in for that.

I have this pre in combination with the new Cary SA 200.2 power amp. I have not tried the pre with other amps, but in combo with the Cary it is stellar. I was really not all that interested in it as it had luke warm reviews and was even beat up a litte bit on the forums. I was looking at integrateds or even more expensive seperates but John at Audio Connection said these two compenants work great toghether so I took his advice and gave them a try. I'm glad I did. Put a Kimber XLR between them and I tube rolled the SLP 03. It responded very well with a live dynmaic and airy sound with the VSA Unifield 3 speakers. The new remote is also excellent. At it's current price it is a great deal for a pre, no doubt about it. I highly suggest pairing it with the SA 200.2. The synergy is great.

Hawk28, yes, you shouldn't have to settle for just one or the other. You can have a warmer lush sound with still good extension, detail and clarity. If you have a dry cold harsh sound, something is wrong in your chain unless of course you like that sound.

I like the Mullards a lot actually. I have also used the Mazda 12 AU7 from Upscale Audio and they provide a lot of top end sparkle. It depends on which speakers I have rotated in the system on which tubes I like best. The Mullards warmer sounding.

Do you happen to live in Iowa by chance? Didn't know if "Hawk" was an Iowa Hawkeye reference?

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.