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as you may very well know i like older, proven, almost classic preamps. oh and with lots of tubes!!!! and even though i will buy a phonostage in the future i also like the option of a really nice internal phonostage which is one reason i own a hovland. but since ive owned the hovland for almost a year now(a record for me) its time to move on and find something new (to me) . ive always been a huge fan of anything CAT makes and always loved this preamp. the phonostage in here from what i remember(heard it 3-4 years ago)is as good as any external stage i can afford. of course its not as cool looking as the black chrome hovland with the big chrome knobs. but CAT goes for quality of sound over looks. so my hovland is up for sale with a bunch of interest in it. if it sells and this is still available this is what i will buy. will take me a couple minutes to go back and fourth and cut and paste this post together.lol.
Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Ultimate MK ll Line Stage/Phono Preamplifier
Review Summary
Sound "The SL1 Ultimate Mk 2 excels at two seemingly disparate things: explicating the internal life of music -- the fine details, texture and micro shifts in volume that are often the hardest things to get right -- and capturing the essence of large-scale music, its rhythmic flow and grandeur." "There is no spotlighting of detail, just a unified presentation in which the musical elements are all accounted for, not obscured or emphasized." "Through the midrange, the CAT preamp is beautifully balanced -- neither tart nor sweet," and bass is "supple, agile."
Features "The SL1 Ultimate Mk 2, like its forebears, has all-tube audio circuitry and a solid-state power supply with a built-in isolation transformer." It "uses the same five tubes in its line and optional phono stages: a matched pair of 6922s, a single 6922, and a matched pair of 12AX7s." "The SL1 Ultimate Mk 2 is a single-ended-only preamp. Ken believes that a properly designed and implemented single-ended circuit can sound better than a balanced circuit because there are fewer parts."
Use "The SL1 Ultimate has high voltage gain, 26dB, which can cause very audible hiss when it's paired with an amplifier that also has high voltage gain and a sensitive speaker." "Tubes were a particular bugaboo for CAT preamps of yore, but the tubes that Ken is using now seem to be very quiet and stable."
Value "If you can live with its foibles, you'll save yourself thousands of dollars on the way to owning the heart of a first-class audio system."
Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Ultimate MK ll Line Stage/Phono Preamplifier
Review Summary
Sound "The SL1 Ultimate Mk 2 excels at two seemingly disparate things: explicating the internal life of music -- the fine details, texture and micro shifts in volume that are often the hardest things to get right -- and capturing the essence of large-scale music, its rhythmic flow and grandeur." "There is no spotlighting of detail, just a unified presentation in which the musical elements are all accounted for, not obscured or emphasized." "Through the midrange, the CAT preamp is beautifully balanced -- neither tart nor sweet," and bass is "supple, agile."
Features "The SL1 Ultimate Mk 2, like its forebears, has all-tube audio circuitry and a solid-state power supply with a built-in isolation transformer." It "uses the same five tubes in its line and optional phono stages: a matched pair of 6922s, a single 6922, and a matched pair of 12AX7s." "The SL1 Ultimate Mk 2 is a single-ended-only preamp. Ken believes that a properly designed and implemented single-ended circuit can sound better than a balanced circuit because there are fewer parts."
Use "The SL1 Ultimate has high voltage gain, 26dB, which can cause very audible hiss when it's paired with an amplifier that also has high voltage gain and a sensitive speaker." "Tubes were a particular bugaboo for CAT preamps of yore, but the tubes that Ken is using now seem to be very quiet and stable."
Value "If you can live with its foibles, you'll save yourself thousands of dollars on the way to owning the heart of a first-class audio system."
or should i say my ex-snappers.