Audible Illusions L-2 vs. Cary SLP-98

Both sound very, very good. I dont think you can go wrong with either. Both come with remote and are single ended.

The cary is a little more colorful (in a good way)with incredible dynamics and bass. The Audible illusions is a little more netural ( doesnt quite have the bottom end of the cary)

Here are some points to consider:

The L2 requires 2- 6922/7308 tubes. The way the unit is designed it is very, very hard on them. Premium tubes for this unit are in short supply and $$$. A nice pair from a reliable seller can easily go for $200-$300 a pair, if not more. The unit is very traditional looking. Customer service can be very slow or difficult if a repair is needed.

The carys in regards to tube rolling is much easier ( I forgot the different tubes - but premiums are easy to find and not expensive). There are also cap upgrades and a phono can be added if you wish. The unit does not have a traditional look - either you will like it or hate it. Customer service is excellent.

Good luck,

Mike

Mike, Judging by your response to Stumpie apparently you are a big fan of Cary. However let me correct your comments regarding the L2.

Be advised that, as of this date, we have now manufactured over 200 of these units and none have experienced premature tube failure. As for someone paying $200-300 for premium tubes, we never heard of this. We, and several of our dealers, offer excellent-reliable tubes for this unit that are reasonably priced.

Regards, Jerry Cusmano/AI Service Mgr.

I'm glad Jerry spoke up about the tubes. I have an L-2 and have never had a tube failure. The Audible preamps allow you to readily hear the differences in tubes but I too have never heard of $300 tubes for this preamp.
I have owned an AI preamp for a number of years(M3A and L-1) and have never had tube problems with any of them. In fact, I have a pair of 10 year old Sovtek's I pulled from a used M3a with about 3000 hours on them that sound wonderful. I have bought from AI, Upscale Audio and others and the tubes run about $70 for the pair in most cases. Exotic tubes are not required for this preamp to sound good.
Look at the AI web site for recommendations on tubes.
For a comparison, I have never heard the Cary pre. However, I did read a couple of reviews that seem to indicate it was not necessarily neutral which the L-2 is. If neutral is not what you're after, stay away from the L-2.

"As for someone paying $200-300 for premium tubes, we never heard of this."

Recently a pair of Holland "pinched waist" 6922s went for $800 on this site.