The SL pre-amp has been in place for ten days and the new ICs are starting to break in, so a few observations can be made.
The Plinius M8 did quite a few things well, including deep bass with authority, good macro-dynamics, a quiet background and a wide soundstage.
The SL tubed pre-amp improves on all of those things except the dead quiet background, and even there I can't hear anything unless I stick my ear 18" away from the speakers, which is a big who cares. But the improvements don't stop there.
There is a plainly more natural sounding mid-range, and a far more detailed that is less fatiguing treble at volume. Micro-dynamics are much improved and more life-like - you can hear much deeper into ensemble playing and I'll be interested to hear how symphonies sound once the ICs are fully broken in. The soundstage is deeper and layered.
Overall, I find it just slightly on the warm side of neutral but not at all rolled off or overly polite. And it does not lack attack - drum hits and aggressively plucked notes are dramatic and vivid, and music does not sound at all slow.
None of this is to say that the Plinius M8 is not a solid pre-amp. It is, and during the time it has spent in my system it has performed very well. But the Symphonic Line is a substantial upgrade and gets me closer to my ideal of what music should sound like.
The Plinius M8 did quite a few things well, including deep bass with authority, good macro-dynamics, a quiet background and a wide soundstage.
The SL tubed pre-amp improves on all of those things except the dead quiet background, and even there I can't hear anything unless I stick my ear 18" away from the speakers, which is a big who cares. But the improvements don't stop there.
There is a plainly more natural sounding mid-range, and a far more detailed that is less fatiguing treble at volume. Micro-dynamics are much improved and more life-like - you can hear much deeper into ensemble playing and I'll be interested to hear how symphonies sound once the ICs are fully broken in. The soundstage is deeper and layered.
Overall, I find it just slightly on the warm side of neutral but not at all rolled off or overly polite. And it does not lack attack - drum hits and aggressively plucked notes are dramatic and vivid, and music does not sound at all slow.
None of this is to say that the Plinius M8 is not a solid pre-amp. It is, and during the time it has spent in my system it has performed very well. But the Symphonic Line is a substantial upgrade and gets me closer to my ideal of what music should sound like.