I just purchased a Cary Rocket 88 and enjoy it tremendously. I use it almost exclusively in Triode, I find the Ultralinear a little dry for my taste. This system has a very black background with very good bass, and a very low noise floor, for a tube amp. It is more powerful than some but at 20 watts in Triode lower than most. With 95db efficient speakers it produces excellent dynamics from very low to more than moderate volume levels for a 18 x 24 room.
I find the KT88s sound very lively a lot like the EL34s but not rounded off in the upper frequencies. I am very impressed with the build quality of such a low end price point for Cary.
Compared to SS this amp does not have the punch in the very low end, and my preference is single driver speakers with this amp. I have a pair of triangles that are more than efficient enough but in my listening environment with this amp the bass seems just a bit bloomy or loose, where as the Abbys seem more controlled. I prefer the Triangles with the Tripath amp that I have, as the bass just seems to regain the punch.
I find the KT88s sound very lively a lot like the EL34s but not rounded off in the upper frequencies. I am very impressed with the build quality of such a low end price point for Cary.
Compared to SS this amp does not have the punch in the very low end, and my preference is single driver speakers with this amp. I have a pair of triangles that are more than efficient enough but in my listening environment with this amp the bass seems just a bit bloomy or loose, where as the Abbys seem more controlled. I prefer the Triangles with the Tripath amp that I have, as the bass just seems to regain the punch.