CATSL1 best pre under 3K?


Is a CAT SL1 preamp the preamp to buy used under 3k or are there better
dvdgreco

Showing 8 responses by daveyf

IF you can find a CAT SL1 under $3K....a VERY BIG IF, IMHO there is nothing better at even twice the price....and maybe many times that!
Depending on age, the tubes may be needing replacement, BUT that is an easy task and well worth it.
What other preamp do you think would compete with the SL1 at anywhere near that price?
Granny, the challenge would be interesting. However, I live on the West Coast, so
the distance is a factor. When I heard the Dude it was in a friend's system who
also was using a Counterpoint SA5.1. The Counterpoint was the better sounding
preamp to the Dude that day, IMO.
BTW, I notice that no one here seems to be using analog as a front end...perhaps
that is telling us something.
Dvdgreco, Charles1dad brings up a good point. Subjectivity is the rule and there will be a diverse range of responses. His advice to always audition if possible is spot on. I can tell you from my perspective and likes, the TRL and the Coincident Line stage wouldn't be my favorite at all. Frankly, I wouldn't give them house room, so there's one divergent response, LOL. Compared to the CAT, they are far less dynamic and resolving...BUT this is all IMHO.
Remember, that the ancillary gear will also have an effect on what one hears- along with ones pre-conceptions. Charles1dad clearly likes a certain sound, I like another. It's all good.
Here is the other irony. Depending on the ancillary gear...source,amps, speakers and the room; I believe that almost all gear can be made to sound different than in a synergistic set-up. In my experience, and with an analog front end, the CAT sounded more as I described than the TRL or the Coincident. At the time, was this due to the phono preamp stage that was used with the other two preamps, was it the amp/preamp pairing, the speakers, the room, the cabling, the source or?? Could this have been the circumstance when Charles1dad heard the CAT and then the other two preamps, great synergy with the two he likes- and less so with the CAT....I believe that may well be the case.
Jwm, what gear were you pairing the CAT with? I have never heard any CAT preamp sound forward or upfront sounding...
Stewart0722, have you considered tube rolling into your CAT? I did this on mine and it went to an entirely different level. Rolling NOS tubes into both the line and phono stage was a huge improvement.