Cary V12i vs V12R???

No mystery there the "R" version rocks the house.I had the pleasure of owning one for several months.In my system it out performed the "i"I've got an original V12 which I had upgraded by Sounds Good to Me,in Clayton,NC at a very reasonable cost.I'm very satisfied with the results,especially operating in triode in the balanced mode.A perfect match with my Innersound Stats and AH pre amp.Polk432 gets it right.

I don't know what type of medication Kevziek was on, but I just purchased an SLP98P preamp, hooked it up to a McIntosh 7270 SS amp and could not believe the difference. Then I bought a V12R Cary amp and sold my beloved McIntosh amp. It is a wonderful combo. I use Krause Cinema Extreme speakers that can handle 1,000 watts and it also sounds great with my Klipsch Quartets. I think some audiofiles try to hear things that are just not there. I've heard and can afford amps that cost 10 times the cost, but there is just not that much of a difference if any, for example Linn that you have to keep upgrading with sound cards. Why not just make it right the 1st time?

I heard V12 and it was very good. While not as extended in frequency extremes as audio research, it has better mid range texture and smoothness. I've the ARC VS110.

The R model is marginally better but the upgrade is not too expensive. Buying a used 12i upgrading to R still worthwhile IMHO.

I just purchased a Cary v12i and find the amp to be just as good as it is supposed to be. My system consists of a BAT VK50SE preamp and Electrocompaniet CDP, and a pair of Verity Audio Fidelio speakers. I swapped the stock 6922's for some Telefunkin's and the EL 84's are Mullards with EH EL34's. Very tight bass, great midrange. So transparent and lifelike. I much prefer it over my BAT VK75SE and my RM-200 which I really liked. I would love to hear from someone who has done the R upgrade.

I frankly can't understand how anyone could consider the V12 a good sounding amp. I had both a new one, which was burned in only about 50 hours, and I much preferred my ARC VT100 to it. A year later, an audiophile friend with a very revealing system (B&W Signature 800's -- keep in mind Dennis Had uses B&W N802's) borrowed a well-burned in V12 from a local dealer, and it sounded exactly the same -- anemic bass, a thin, piercing sound. The imaging & soundstaging was poorly defined, and the whole sonic picture was a congealed mess when playing complex passages. We both hated it, and frankly couldn't believe how bad an amp it was.