I also vote for the SLP-05. I owned the 05 as well as the 98 and the o5 was significantly better in my experience. The fact that your modded 98 was better than a stock 05 is very impressive! I'm curious to see how the upgraded 05 stacks up.
Primaluna EVO 400 vs. stock Cary SLP-05 preamp?
I was considering the Cary Ultimate upgrade ($1600) for my SLP-05 preamp, but never did it. Now upgradeitis has me considering the Primaluna EVO 400 preamp as a replacement. Does anyone think that there would be a noticeable improvement with the EVO 400?