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The SLP-05 Ultimate Upgrade

I saw that Cary is offering an upgrade package for the SLP-05.  I love this pre.  Stock as a rock, but with 6sn7w and RCA greyglass vt231.  Has anyone heard an upgraded SLP05 or might anyone have an opinion on the likely sonic result from the upgrades?

Thanks!

From Cary's site:

We have had numerous requests from customers for many years regarding possible upgrades to the SLP-05 preamplifier. For the past couple of years, we have made it a project to find the appropriate combination of components to take the SLP-05 to another level. Finally, we believe we have achieved our goal. We are incredibly happy with the results of these upgrades which can be installed in any SLP-05, no matter the vintage. The “Ultimate Upgrade” consists of changes to the power supply as well as the line stage circuit.

The power supply portion of the upgrade consists of “maxing out” the filtering capabilities along the entire power supply chain, all the way into and including the preamplifier. Purifying DC voltages is extremely important to providing a clean, clear, smooth sound quality that is free from grain, noise and strident artifacts. This also improves imaging qualities as it provides a much blacker background. The type and quantity of capacitance are important as we are not just adding an extra 1200uf of UCC electrolytic capacitance into the main B+ (high voltage) supply but also an additional total of 125uf of Polypropylene capacitors throughout the B+ line. This includes a huge 100uf Polypropylene capacitor right at the line stage PC board. The rest of the additional capacitors are used as bypass capacitors across each UCC electrolytic filter capacitor. This provides a dramatically smooth, sweet sound quality.
In the line stage circuit, we change the resistors to high quality 1% Vishay metal film plate load and cathode resistors. This parts change improves the midrange and bass substantially for a fuller, more textured midrange. You will notice more body and texture to vocals and acoustic instruments, etc. Bass is more authoritative and tight. Highs are smoother yet detailed.
And finally, for the pièce de résistance. We are removing all of the coupling capacitors and installing (10) Mundorf MCap coupling capacitors throughout the entire line section. This is the final addition that completely allows the sound qualities of the SLP-05 to shine through, resulting in a sweet, fluid, full bodied yet delicate delivery of every single instrument and natural vocal detail. It is done without adding brightness, and yet delivers an amazing amount of air and detail revealing the acoustics of the room and instruments with breathtaking natural realism. There is body, texture and fullness to instruments that break through with such ease and delicacy no matter the complexity of the music.
The “Ultimate Upgrade” is not just an upgrade. It elevates the SLP-05 to a whole other level of sound quality. It retains the attributes of the SLP-05 that you know and love but gives you more of everything.
The complete upgrade is priced at $1,595 which includes all parts, labor, and FREE shipping back to you. If you purchase a new SLP-05, you will be able to add this upgrade during the checkout process on carydirect.com


stfoth
lwin's avatar
lwin
215 posts
 

Shredder it has been years since I auditioned 6f8g's so I will have to wait for my preamp to come back to let you know what I finally liked the best. I think it is either Kenrad or Sylvania and I auditioned National Union as well.I like the Marconi BL 63 tubes the best but I was leery of using more than 1 pair as they draw a little more current. I thought Cary would tell me the BL 63 tubes were a little too much for the preamp.  If I had known that the Cary could handle them I would have sent in only the BL 63 tubes as they are in another league .

If you are buying adapters pay a little more for the quality ones with a metal base that is slotted along the side for the tube cap wire. The cheap plastic adapters don't have a slot and  with the wire outside the body can be a very tight fit in the tube socket.

jafant's avatar
jafant
10,525 posts
 
Thank you! lxgreen for sharing your story.
it is imperative that we all post both positive and negative experiences when dealing w/ these companies. Same for dealers/retailers as well.
In your case, it was certainly Cary's fault. Hope youn wrote a letter (not an email) to the CEO.
What brand(s) do you use now?
Happy Listening!
shredder's avatar
shredder
93 posts
 

So, Iwin, how does it sound? Anyone else heard the upgrade?


Thanks.

lwin's avatar
lwin
215 posts
 

OK after a couple glitches with one of my amps not powering up & one preamp tube suffering the travel; I finally got my system running properly 2 days ago. It is still breaking in but I like what I am hearing.

Let me back up a little before I get into the nuts and bolts. I have looked at other upgrades for this preamp but my concern is the voicing. In my opinion Cary has a house sound whether it is their tube or solid state gear. Going to a third party might change the Cary sound that I like so much that  I never did try a third party. When Cary announced the upgrade, I was delighted. It is one thing to plug in parts and maybe measure performance but you also have to listen to what you did. I trust Cary to do this and they delivered.

The upgraded unit has deeper and more accurate bass. The width and depth of the soundstage increased. On the top end properly recorded cymbals sound exactly as they should with no smearing. Vocals are spot on. Every recording I listened to was better.

My preamp was about 10 years old and the technician replaced a bad resister. Also the upgrade includes new capacitors. Capacitors have a life span. What I am driving at is if your preamp has some years on it ,you are going to have it completely checked out as part of the upgrade. The way I look at , my preamp sounds better and it should be good for another 10 years.

Some of you probably want me to quantify the improvement but as I said it is still breaking in. I am happy with what I am hearing and I think for me it was definitely worth the investment. You may disagree especially when companies like PS Audio are giving away wonderful software upgrades for their equipment.

Shredder , the 6f8g tubes I settled on were the Kenrads. For those of you not familiar with these tubes, they were the precursors to the 6sn7 tubes. I hope this write-up proves useful to you . Larry W


jond's avatar
jond
3,400 posts
 
Great that your hearing a definite improvement and that should get even better as the new caps break in as well as the preamp overall. And as I started earlier its very unlikely you could have spent $1600 any other way and gotten the same improvement so well done!
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