I've been using a pair of Cary SLM-100's for a few years now. Out of the gate, they were a very transparent pair, tubed with Sylvania and Winged 'C's. They're rock solid on their bias, easy on tubes, and very easy to mod(should you desire to). I don't plan on replacing them any time soon, as I've easily been able to reproduce the gestalt of live music(which I get to listen to 2-3 times a week) with them in the system(Like I said- they're easy to mod/upgrade). If you love real music, in live venues: You won't be disappointed with the SLM-100s. With TungSol 6SN7GT(round plate) and Sylvania 6SN7W(tall bottle) tubes in the driver and phase splitter positions(respectively), the sound staging and imaging are spot on. Your results will depend on the selections you make concerning tubes, speakers, cables, pre and source(of course). The Carys will never be the weak link in any chain though. (http://www.caryaudio.com/press/reviews/may96.html) You should note that the minor criticisms in this review could have been easily addressed by a change from the stock tubes. If I read your post correctly- You intend to drive your mids/highs with them. That's what I'm doing with my Maggies(actively bi-amped), and they work excellently in that application.
which tube amp to try???
looking for some suggestions here. if you were looking to spend about $1,000 - $1,400 for a tube amp and would like at least 100 wpc, would you go with a cary slm 100 or a rogue m120. amp would be used to power infinity 1b mid/tweed panels. or another amp that would fit the bill,let me know your suggestions. i would like to try tubes,just not spending $3000 now to do it. and something on the more reliable side would also be good. i haven't had tubes yet and would like to have something that is not too problematic for my first go around. thank you for your input