Wonderful piece of gear. Very flexible and a tube-rollers delight. Been in this 'hobby' for 50+ years and the SLI-80 is the one piece I would pick if I could only pick one (of course, needs speakers and a source or three). Am afraid that Otis doesn't understand tube gear and the need for maintenance. Those coupling caps get a lot of wear & tear blocking all that HV and tend to get tired after several years of use. Doing a simple recap would likely have returned his SLI-80 to 'better than new'. Just part of the deal with tube power amps. Just like your Mercedes needs occasional maintenance. Enjoy the music!!

Sounds amazing for the (initial acquisition) price, but sell it before the warranty expires because it'll start blowing fuses and eating tubes. I'm no techie but the left channel on my F1 Signature edition unit required CONSTANT bias adjustment after about 4 years. After that, it was eating fuses and finally the thing totally died after about 9 years. I know it's a relatively cheap amp but as a non audiophile I was hoping my $4500 would last AT LEAST 15 years. So if you consider yourself an audiophile and/or you have lots of cash, don't waste your time with this amp. If you DON'T have plenty if cash, look elsewhere or get integrated circuits. The acquisition cost, replacement tube cost, and repair bills make it a very poor long term audio investment. May as well buy Chinese if you're sold on tubes and aren't rich. At least you won't be out a bundle when it falls apart and it'll last just as long, or longer, than this hillbilly made unit.

just bought my first class a stereo best i have listen to look at a couple Musical Paradise tube amps sounded good but always broke after a month. this has great american built and has the most bass of all I have heard in a tube amp. Still looking for speakers using my dads "12" year old areo's which sound like new and tried the staffs too. I strongly recommend to tome acoustic for there build and quality and price, and looks especially for any low powered amps ilk cary audio! trust me if you haven't listen to a totem. you haven't never heard a real good speaker! Some totem speakers may be a two way but will beat out any three way! and towers have a good definite bass response. But remember the closer to the wall the more bass response will come out of it! I can even hear great detail like the hum from a fender 65 twin reverb amp. Or a person coughing in the background at a Diana Krall live concert. Also live saxophone that sends shivers up your spine and Norah Jones live voice like she was acutely there! Price

paid $2200 canadian on sale at Audio 5.1

This is a great amp i listen to all types of music to Diana Krall, Norah Jones, to Earth wind and Fire to the Doobie Brothers, kenny Loggins, journey,Chicago and other classic rock, to Stevie Ray Vaughan,David Sanborn, other blues, and Whitney Houston

What a fantastic amplifier this box is....I have been in the industry for 15 years and heard it all. I purchased the fully upgraded version SLI80 Signature F1 Edition with Jensen oil and copper capacitors, WBT speaker terminals, CD input wired with Kimber Kable, Hexfreds in the power supply, and the Grayhill Selector switch. I have a small audio only dedicated room where Arcam FMJ36 is used as a source and Reference 3A Veena speakers. For the interconnect I use the Purist Audio Elementa Advance Presato Revision and the speaker cabling is achieved by a pair of Cardas Quadlink 5c in bi-wiring configuration. The cardas cross power cord is used with Cary amp and Cardas Twinlink is used with CD player.
I listen to variety of music material including Miles Davis, Jan Garbarek, Bill Evans, Diana Krall, Madeleine Peyroux, Cassandra Willson, Dino Saluzzi, as well as Genessis, Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits, Led Zeppelin and much,much more...
After years of experimentation with different equipment I finally found perfect combination that let me listen to the music for hours, days sometimes without the fatigue...SLI80 is simply amazing on so many levels - first, it is very well priced and you can get used one if you decide to , and its sound.....wow!!! What a soundstage!!! I have never heard anything like that from any Solid state gear including Mark Levinson 33H that drove B&W silver signatures.....Yes, the imaging could be a tad better but one cannot expect perfection in every aspect from the piece that cost $3K....there are always compromises. I have been using this amp for two years now with Electro-harmonix set of KT88 tubes and pair of Electro-harmonix 6922s.....I played with various tubes including NOS and I have to tell you that it was a waste of time and money.....SLI80 sounds great with current production tubes that I usually get from Upscale Audio when needed. The most important issue is to chose the right speakers to work with Cary. Remember, tube amps have huge input impedance (100KOhms) so they will accent any imperfection with speakers frequency response. In other words if you chose speakers that treble characteristic is accented, the amp might sound bright!!! Not many speakers are suitable enough to be used effectively with Tube amps. That is why I hardly recommend the Reference 3A products.....I can guaranty you will be amazed....The mid-range sweetness is simply unlivable...I used to own Creek Destiny amp that hurt my ears so badly that I sold it right away...

You can't go wrong with this amp.....choose your speakers wisely and you have system for life!!!!

This is just a great, reliable, musical amp. No complaints whatsoever from this guy.

Strengths:
Very musical. Great headphone amp. Good bass. Lush mids. Very good highs. Extremely well-built in the USA.

Weaknesses:
Like all decent tube amps, this one is only as good as the tubes you put in it. So use decent tubes, and you'll get great sound.

Similar Products Used:
Creek
Musical Fidelity
NAD

Integrated full-bodied sound. Presents the music as a whole. Versatile and flexible for an audiophile product. Easy to use. Well-built and solid. A great headphone amplifier as well. Has sub-outs and remote.

None

I love this amplifier. Rich exciting musical presentation. Fabulous midrange. Bass is very good for an all-tube integrated. Highs are good. Depth and sondstage are first-rate as well. I compared it directly to many others, and it clobbers them musically. More involving than other integrateds. A great product.

Similar Products Used:

Conrad Johnson Cav-50 Brston b60 LFD Mistral LE Classe integrated Creek 5350SE Plinius 8500 MkII

Very detailed sound with the mid-range smoothness that tube amps are known for but with the speed, extension and immediacy often associated with solid state.

For a tube amp, almost none. No it doesn't have the slam and impact in the bass of solid state, but no tube amp can. It comes close though. For acoustic bass, the sound reproduction is excellent. Only for electric amplified bass/ drums such as found in rock music, is the bass reproduction less than perfect.

The Cary Audio Design SLI-80 Signature integrated amplifier is a killer amp. It has the convenience of being an integrated (no interconnect to buy and separates to match), top-notch build quality, affordability, and fantastic sound reproduction. I first came to know and love the Cary sound when purchasing an SLI-50 (the SLI-80's now discontinued little brother) from Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio. It put my then reference system (Conrad-Johnson Premier 11A amp) to shame. I was so impressed that I traded in my separates to buy the SLI-80 which sounds even better still. I would characterize the sound as smooth, and easy to listen to as most tube gear is, but at the same time detailed, fast and extended; not too laid back or recessed as tube amps sometimes can be. I admit that I am generally taken with how tube equipment sounds, but this amp is hard to beat even if one can afford to spend two to three times as much. I would recommend this amp for all lovers of hi-fi except those that lisen to rock exlusively,(a small group presumably); here solid-state is probably still king. With NOS tubes from Kevin Deal newly installed I am finally in audiophile heaven. Now if I could only afford that $1500 interconnect for my excellent Cary Audio CD-3003 CD player.
Maybe Santa will come through!
System 1
Cary Audio SLI-80 Signature
Cary Audio CD-3003 CD player
Wireworld Silver Eclipse series III interconnect
Audio-Physic Virgo Loudspeakers
Yammamura Millenium 4000 speaker cable
System 2
Cary Audio SLI-50 amp
EAD Ultradisc 2000 CD player
Wireworld Eclipse series III interconnect
Soliloquy SM-2A3 loudspeakers
Analysis Plus Oval Nine speaker cable

Similar Products Used:

Prior to buying the Cary Audio amp, I have owned a Mesa Baron amp (too unreliable) and most recently a Conrad-Johnson Premier 11A.

A captivating sound. Smooth and yet quite detailed. One may experiment with tube options. Can switch between triode and ultra-linear while music is playing.

The unit needs quite a bit of room to keep cool, runs quite hot. Children, courious people, and my German Shepherd Dog seem to have to touch the exposed tubes. What a very few weaknesses for such a beutiful sounding amp!

The Cary Audio SLI-80 signature integrated amp is a great buy. You will get a all tube pre and power amp in one unit. The amp also comes with a all metal, very substatial remote control. A headphone amp as well as a switch that allows the listener to switch between 40 watt triode and 80 watt ultra-linear while you are listening to see which you prefer. I am leaving mine on triode but you should listen for yourself to experience the difference. All of these features and more including great photos of the amp may be seen on upscaleaudio.com. To compare this amp to the others I have listed above are as follows. I really did like the very warm sound of the Anthem Integrated I but there were reliability issues. I switched to the Integrated II for a time but just could not get into the sound of this hybrid amp. After hearing an all tube amp like the Integrated I I did not think I will ever have anything else. I tried the Conrad Johnson and auditioned other tube amps only to find them sound subjectively too slow and thick. Then came a visit to upscaleaudio.com after seeing an ad for them (Yes, I do dig tubes) and followed that with a Phone call. I spoke with Kevin Deal and told him what I had, where I had been, and where I wanted my system to go. The Cary signature was recommended. Both my wife and I love to listen to music and we both agree (wow) that this is a very musical amp. It does have a warmth to the music without a doubt but it does not in any way distract from the music. The only thing that may do that is the cool looks of the amp. There are many good tube options available for the amp. I have tried a couple of options and found they resulted in a cleaner smoother sound. I will leave the various options up to the tube pros at Upscaleaudio.com. They will listen to what you need or want and offer a honest and obviously knowledgeable suggestion. If you have been shopping for audio equipment I am certain you will understand why I point this out. The Cary is really a beautiful sounding amp. The amp is full of very useful features and has the ability to be fine tuned to your liking. I think the amp is great deal and from what I have heard near the price, it is the best.
System:
Rega Planet CD player
NAD 533 record player
Roksan Corus black cartridge
B&W CDM1SE loudspeakers
Synergistic Research and NBS interconnects
Straight Wire speaker cable

Similar Products Used:

Anthem Integrated I, Anthem Integrated II, and Conrad Johnson Cav-50

Great sound, soundstaging, depth,imaging, musical, you name it, beautiful looks, ect...

Not at this price.

I wanted to upgrade my Rotel amp and preamp (good for the money). I had it for around two years, but as time went on and hearing other equipment, I realized it was time to upgrade. I had around $3000 to play with, so I searched around all the upscale audio store's in my area within a 50 mile radius,(which is quite a few). I listened to many different amps, and tried to narrow it down. I really wanted to listen at home, in my own enviroment, with my own equipment, and listen at great lenghts to try and decide. (I wanted to make sure I made the right choice). I decided to purchase the Musical Fidelity A3 CR amp and pre amp that Sam tellig from Stereophile reviewed, (it got a rave review, class "A"). It also got hi marks from all the British magazine's out there. So I figured that would be a good test bench. I liked it alot and thought it was as good if not better than all the other solid state amps I auditioned (in my price range). I was also able to bring home some tube amps from Unison reasearch, and Pathos. I thought the single ended S6 from Unison ($3000)sounded muted in comparison to the A3 combo, soundstage was small, and there was a loss of detail. The other two from Unison and Pathos were better, but still not as good either. So I thought the Musical Fidelity might be a winner. Before I was to settle in on that though, there was one more store I had to go to. Audio Connection in Verona New Jersey. I was saving that for last. I had bought my Rotel stuff there originally two years ago. John Rutan the owner, is a very knowelegable guy, and the most passionate (about audio) dealer I have met. I saved him for last because I knew he might have something special. So I gave him a call right after work. I told him I was looking for a amp, and what I was willing to spend. I realized I was on a speakerphone because some other guy chimed in and said, "come on down, have we got a amp for you". I told him what I was going to audition it with, and the the other guy said "come on down, I love to have a good shoot out". (who is this guy?). So I ventured down to Audio Connection to see what they had. I get there and John and this other guy are follin around with this tube amp. I shook John's hand and he said "here, I'd like you to meet Dennis Had from Cary Audio". So thats who that guy was. (I thought John was passinate about audio, you gotta meet this guy). Anyway I spent several hours there listening to differnt things. Dennis was alway interested in how I liked the amp. I told him it sounded great but the other amp I have at home sounds good too. "Sure take it home, listen to them both at home". So I got to take it home with me. Now let me tell you, meeting the owner of Cary audio was a big trill to me, any product of his gets rave reviews, but I don't care who it is, if it doesn't sound good to me I aint buying!! I had to save up a long time for this! Any way I had the amp for around two weeks (John let me break it in for him, it had just arrived and was brand new). I thought they both sounded good, and it was hard to decide, I was really supprised at how much detail and resolution there was from the Cary, the A3 combo was good too. Sound stageing, imaging, clarity, they both had it. How do I decide? After awhile it was evident however, the Cary just played the music. I found myself drawn into the music , I would switch back to A3 combo, just to make sure, but I noticed that when I was playing the A3 combo, I noticed it was "there", like, I could feel that there was some kind of electronic "glare" in my chain of equipment, but, with the Cary it disapeared. All I heard was a silent background, and the instuments seemed to have more space between them, the sound wasn't as compressed either, all in all, still having clarity, depth and resolution, as good as, or better than the Musical Fidelity A3 CR combo, which was a class "A" product. Anyway I will listen to reviews only to point me in the right direction, overall my ears will make the choice. And these ears chose the Cary. If you are in the hunt for a very good amp in the $3000 range, you must audition this amp!! Or you might find yourself diapointed. I can tell you that I wont buy anything unless "I am sure" that is is what I want. I spent many many hours audtioning amps. And I am sure I made the right choice. I'm writing this after having it my system for around 2 months. I am still amazed at what I hear. This is truly a high end amp. I can tell you that Audio Connection is a great store to buy equipment from, their knowlegeable, and you will never be pressured to buy anything. (I have had the bad experience of that before, I won't deal with those types). Overall an excellent amp at a great price!!

Similar Products Used:

Musical Fidelity, Denson, integrateds from, Krell, Sim audio, Unison Research, Pathos.

Compact nature of the product, build quality, versatility.

None that I can think of right now. Though I wish that Cary was still producing its integrated with the chrome chassis.

I've had the SLI-80 for one week now and I am tickled to death with its performance. I never thought I'd own another integrated but personal circumstances required me to pack up all of my audio gear and move it into *one* room. This was the wife's request. I called Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio and explained my dilemma. He suggested, without hesitation, the Cary SLI-80. Given his conviction in this instance, and the fact that he has never steered me wrong in the past, I agreed.

I didn't expect anything spectacular right out of the box so after setup I listened for a moment and then walked away from it for another 24 hours. Not much of a difference at 24 hours so I stayed out of the room another 48. Entering the room at 70+ hours I was treated to one of the sweetest sounds. A violin solo was playing on Moby's - Animal Rights. It held such a deep space and weight on the wall where the system is setup that when I closed my eyes and placed the musician on stage he would have been OUTSIDE standing on my porch 8 feet or so behind the window in the middle of that wall.

The Silverline SR15's seem to be a perfect match with the Cary. Upper and lower registers of stringed instruments are seamless in their presentation from midwoofer to high frequency driver. The SEAS units in the SR15's are 90db efficient and present the Cary with a 8ohm load. Perfect for running the amp in Triode mode. And capable of producing more than enough db than I care to endure. OH, and the bass out of these little 6" drivers is amazing. I can't believe the amount of realism conveyed through the Cary to these puny drivers on kettle drums and tympani. Sick, truly, sick :)

I've had such joy in owning this unit for the one short week I've had with it that the last two nights I found myself going through all of my older recordings (pre-72'). I found almost all of it more enjoyable than late recordings. Especially everything produced in Europe. I don't know what advantages the Euro's had over us in this era but it is quite evident in the recordings. TUBES??

The source is the Ah! 99' also bought from Mr. Deal. More tubes, of course.

After I've had more of a chance to settle in and get to know the SLI-80 a little more intimately, I may share further impressions but right now all I want to do is listen.

Associated equipment:
Cary SLI-80
Ah! 99
Silverline SR15's
DH Labs T-14 twisted double run bi-wire
DH Labs BL-1

BTW, Compared to the other tube amps I've owned in the past the Cary is much more refined and capable of realistic presentation and soundstaging. IMHO, of course.

Similar Products Used:

Mesa Baron
Jolida JD1000A
Sonic Frontiers SFC-1
Sonic Frontiers SFS-80