CAT Preamps vs Amps

I listen through my ediolon speakers, it is by far the best and most life like and natural. Easy to go along with different external phono stages.

Hi All,
I posted my findings plugging in the 12AX7 tubes that Jafox kindly sent me. I posted this in a more relevant forum. Here's the link http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&986396504&openfrom&1&4
if anyone is interested.
FYI. FWIW. YMMV.

The SL1 Sig MK3 has been the centerpiece of my system for several years, with consistent, solid performance that never dissapoints. Musical yet detailed and it does all the audiophile things with apparent ease. I have worried about what I would do if something ever happened to it since I know it would be extreamly difficult to replace with something sounding as good, let alone better. BTW, the phono section is excellent IMO and I use it for 90%+ of my listening.

I haven't tried a large variety of tubes but I feel it hates the sovetek stuff but sounds great with EI 12AX7 elite golds, and in the 6922 position either the 6h23, JJ E88cc, or EI 6922. I've found it to be easy on tubes and easy to feed when it does need a pick me up.

John

I guess my comments will be somewhat redundant. I have owned the CAT Ultimate MK2 (linestage only) for about a year. I found the CAT with stock sovtek tubes to be awful.
Agressive, edgy and downright uncomfortable to listen to.
Replacing them with Amperex PQ 6922's and 12AX7's was transformational. The PQ's made in Holland are a little more forward than the USA made PQ's but both are MUSICAL.

I read this post for no other reason than I was "passing through." I have to admit, I was -- and am -- agog at reading that the CAT preamps lack micro- and macro- dynamics. Of course, I owned mine back from 1995-1993, and perhaps they have changed since then, but my system(s) were composed of Versa Dynamics 2.0 and 2.3 turntables , Goldmund Mimesis 9 and Jadis Defy 7 MIT, XLO and Transparent Reference interconnect and speaker cables, and Avalons/Watt/Puppies/Goldmund Super Dialogues and I cannot fathom that the CAT did not have micro-dynamics. Macro, perhaps, and only JUST perhaps. In fact, if you read issue 38 of TAS, you will see that that trait was mentioned as one of its strenghts. Ditto TAS #60, Sounds Like..#3 and a couple of other mags. I could never say that the older CATs lacked micro-dynamics, particulary with the Jadis Defy 7, which was inarguably exquisite in micro-level inflections (macro was very different on that amp, no matter WHAT I used). What I can say is that everything since, including my VAC 70/70s, sound slightly slow by comparison. Are you using vinyl or cds? I have trouble getting my cds to "inflect" anywhere near as good as my Versa did (but then, it cost $15,000, so it had darn well better sound better than most CD players of that time), but I'm genuinely interested to know what the front ends being used are.
I own a First Sound now, but unless the CAT has lost its touch completely, I can't fathom problems with its dynamic abilities. Only my First Sound preamp (my current preamp) has made me wonder if the woofers on my speakers were going to blow out in the way the CAT used to. And that's macro. For micro, the CAT is an exquisite preamp, and having been an edtior for Fi, I heard a heck of a lot of preamps and amps and speakers in my time there. And frankly, I miss the sweetness of the CAT, and I hear orchestral music at least once a month, and live music, depending on the composer, does sound sweet. The CAT, with its inflections, was dazzling. Has it changed that much since the late 80s??????