Cary Audio SLI-80
Nov 19, 2002 at 7:06 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 21
bootman

bootman

King o'Ping
Joined
Jun 22, 2001
Posts
3,308
Likes
11
I know that the Cary CAD-300SEI with its 300Bs gets all the attention but what about its little brother the SLI-80?

sli80_c.jpg



Has anyone heard it with headphones?

http://www.caryaudio.com/sli80.html
 
Nov 19, 2002 at 9:02 PM Post #4 of 21
Nov 20, 2002 at 2:29 AM Post #7 of 21
I've owned the SLI-80 for quite a while. Wonderful speaker amp, with the right speakers. I use mine with a set of Coincidents.

Excellent with high impedence cans like the Sennheiser 600. My favorite with these.

I tried it with the W2002, but because of the efficiency of the AT, some noise/ground loop issue took over.

I don't really like to use it during the So Cal summer, as it acts like a space heater with all of those exposed tubes. Now that winter nears it'll share time with my new toy.

I've recently acquired some new tubes to try. This fall/winter I'm going to get to the bottom of that noise issue so that I can finally find a tube amp that I like with the AT.

By the way, when I read that thread about the modded 300SEI that everyone seemed to like, I e-mailed Cary about modding my SLI-80. They said not to bother, it was as good as it was going to get just the way it was. FWIW
 
Nov 20, 2002 at 5:10 AM Post #8 of 21
WOW smokey! I am VERY interested in a CARY/Coincident combo. Please elaborate on the sound
wink.gif
Which pair do you have?
 
Nov 20, 2002 at 11:38 AM Post #9 of 21
I use the Super Eclipses. What can I say, they sound like real music to me.

Surprisingly with the Cary switched into 80 watts the Coincidents will play quite loudly, with a lot of bass slam. No need for a sub here. I don't usually find that in tube gear, without going for the very expensive stuff that I can't afford. I think I prefer this to the 50 watt switch. Kevin Deal, my audio pusher, er dealer, believes this as well.

They image fairly well, though they are used in a relatively large, tough room. (Oddly shaped, the room presents a challenge to any speaker combination.)

I like the looks of the speakers, and the fact that they are fairly efficient, and present a very easy load to a tube amp really helps. These things are built like tanks, at over 90lbs each. Supposedly, these are efficient enough for flea powered amps to drive to very good levels.

There are a number of reviews of these, and their brothers, the Total Eclipses, in the magazines. I think the Totals were given a Golden Ear or something in the Dec. 2000/Jan 2001 Absolute Sound mag if you're interested in a professional view.
 
Nov 20, 2002 at 6:44 PM Post #10 of 21
smokey: nope I don't need a more professional review, I believe you completely. I am very interested in the Victories or the Total Victories. They are even easier to drive and have the same build quality as the Eclipse line. I am VERY interested in the SLI80 and the 300SEI. The SLI80 is more versatile and is much cheaper. The fact that it is already maxed out in regards to modding is nice too (outside of power cords etc). My room is fairly small now (23x15) with many obsticles in the way so I will look at monitors (the Silverline SR-17's) and then go for the bad boys later in life. The 300SEI is just so romantic, but with tube replacement being a massive expense, it would be wiser for me to go SLI80.
 
Nov 21, 2002 at 3:15 AM Post #11 of 21
I also just recently acquired an SLI-80 (from Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio - very cool guy!), and I absolutely love it.

I've gone through a couple of solid-state amps over the last several months, but now that I have the Cary, I'm done. No more upgrading (I hope!), just music.

They drive my 4 ohm Audio Physic speakers very well. They lose a little in dynamic impact as compared to high-powered solid-state amps, but the sheer musicality, midrange transparency and soundstage rendering more than make up for this (slight) deficiency.

I am going to blaspheme, however, when I say that I've had the Cary for almost a month now and still have not hooked up my HD 600s to see how it does driving headphones. I'll try and do that this weekend. Still, I can't see it besting (or even equalling) my previous Stax Omega II setup, which I REALLY liked.

Smokey, that's very interesting to hear that you prefer Ultralinear to Triode. I greatly prefer Triode, and actually, I never switch over to Ultralinear anymore. Of course, my room is small, and I listen in the nearfield (six feet away from speakers) so much less power is probably required.
 
Nov 21, 2002 at 3:51 AM Post #12 of 21
JohnActon,

I got my Cary from the same guy!
biggrin.gif
If Kevin is not the #1 Cary dealer in the US, I'd sure like to see who is. Ask Kevin about that triode/ultralinear switch. He tells me he likes the ultra as well. I suspect that your room/speaker combo probably influences the sound that you like with the triode.

Did Kevin recommend any special tubes for you? He sold me some KT-88s to replace the 6550s, and a couple '67 NOS Amperex 7308 Oranges.

Try the SLI-80 with your Senns, you should really like them.
 
Nov 21, 2002 at 5:28 AM Post #13 of 21
Yep, I trust Kevin implicitly - he's never steered me wrong. Great customer service, too. He cares about making you happy, as opposed to just making a sale. I've purchased a Cary CD player from him, as well. You're right - he must move a lot of Cary stuff.

Hmmm.... I may have to try the Ultralinear mode again. I prefer the greater dimensionality and palpability of voices with Triode. Everything sounds a little smoother, more analog, more natural. Ultralinear does sound more dynamic and bombastic, however. I may have to investigate further.

I'm just using the stock tubes so far. I'm sure I'll eventually talk to Kevin about tube-rolling. Maybe that's the reason for our divergent preferences; perhaps Triode takes the edge off the stock Sovtek tubes, whereas the NOS tubes you're using are already very smooth, and thus, lend themselves well to Ultralinear operation.
 
Nov 21, 2002 at 8:17 PM Post #14 of 21
John
Cary CD player, Cary amp. Are we trying for a matching system?
 
Nov 22, 2002 at 12:49 AM Post #15 of 21
Kelly,

Kevin is VERY persuasive when you contact him about a new CD player. As long as your budget is sufficient he will convince you to buy a Cary. I've asked about his Ah Tjoeb(sp?), his Musical Fidelity, and even a used Classe he once had. Every time he has moved me to a Cary.

I've bought three so far, and am having a hard time not spending more to update my 308 to the 308T. Kevin has given me great deals on all of them.

I'm not complaining mind you, but I can relate to JohnActon on this one.
biggrin.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top