Mhwalker
New Head-Fier
@FullgazEd:
You asked about how the Cary SLI-80 amp handles low impedance speakers:
I have owned both a standard stock Cary SLI-80, and I liked it so much I purchased a used SLI-80 that already had most of the popular upgrades. I have used both amps to drive my Infinity IRS Delta speakers (made in the early 1990s). They are nominal 4 ohm load, but drop to 1 ohm at higher frequencies. The Infinity’s are about 91db efficient, and my listening room is somewhat large. I sit about 3 meters away from them. Both the standard SLI-80, and the upgraded model, drove them just fine, even at louder volume levels. In fact, I could not believe how well the stock unit performed on them even in Triode mode at only 40 watts. I hope that helps.
Also, FWIW, I did not hear a big difference between the standard model and the upgraded one. While the upgrade model does sound better (deeper tighter bass, more “liquid” and smoother mids, and more open and airy in the highs), the difference is not big. If I had to pay full retail price to upgrade an existing standard Cary SLI-80 to a full upgraded model, in my opinion the extra cost would not be worth it. But, of course, others may have had a different experience. In my opinion, don’t wait for a used upgraded model to go up for sale. Get a used stock model ASAP, and spend the extra money on good NOS tubes. That’s part of what makes the SLI-80 so much fun, is rolling in different tubes. A pair of NOS Mullard or Amperex 6922 tubes will help smooth things out with your ribbon tweeter.
Anyway, good luck and happy listening!
Mike
You asked about how the Cary SLI-80 amp handles low impedance speakers:
I have owned both a standard stock Cary SLI-80, and I liked it so much I purchased a used SLI-80 that already had most of the popular upgrades. I have used both amps to drive my Infinity IRS Delta speakers (made in the early 1990s). They are nominal 4 ohm load, but drop to 1 ohm at higher frequencies. The Infinity’s are about 91db efficient, and my listening room is somewhat large. I sit about 3 meters away from them. Both the standard SLI-80, and the upgraded model, drove them just fine, even at louder volume levels. In fact, I could not believe how well the stock unit performed on them even in Triode mode at only 40 watts. I hope that helps.
Also, FWIW, I did not hear a big difference between the standard model and the upgraded one. While the upgrade model does sound better (deeper tighter bass, more “liquid” and smoother mids, and more open and airy in the highs), the difference is not big. If I had to pay full retail price to upgrade an existing standard Cary SLI-80 to a full upgraded model, in my opinion the extra cost would not be worth it. But, of course, others may have had a different experience. In my opinion, don’t wait for a used upgraded model to go up for sale. Get a used stock model ASAP, and spend the extra money on good NOS tubes. That’s part of what makes the SLI-80 so much fun, is rolling in different tubes. A pair of NOS Mullard or Amperex 6922 tubes will help smooth things out with your ribbon tweeter.
Anyway, good luck and happy listening!
Mike
. Quite warm sounding, very alive. 