Linestages seem particularly sensitive to associated electronics so it is a bit tricky trying to guess how they will sound in your system. I have found that a lot of models sound completely different depending on the system. So, given this caveat, I can say that, in the systems I auditioned them in, the Cary SLP-98 sounded way to warm and sluggish, and, while it did throw a quite large soundstage, that big soundstage seemed to be a product of phasiness rather than being natural. The AR was the complete opposite -- it was lean, lacking in harmonic richness,weight and meatiness, which made it sound cold and unnatural.
The Emotive Audio Sira can be very good, harmonically rich and vibrant, but, in the wrong system, it can sound a bit loose and sluggish in the bass, so it (like anything else) must be auditioned. I have the Epifania with the optional teflon caps. This is an incredibly good linestage (leaner and more "accurate" than the Sira, with astonishingly good recovery of cues on the recording environment), but it is quite pricey.
Other, more reasonably priced linestages that I have heard and liked include the Joule 150, and the lower-priced Audionote (uk) models.
The Emotive Audio Sira can be very good, harmonically rich and vibrant, but, in the wrong system, it can sound a bit loose and sluggish in the bass, so it (like anything else) must be auditioned. I have the Epifania with the optional teflon caps. This is an incredibly good linestage (leaner and more "accurate" than the Sira, with astonishingly good recovery of cues on the recording environment), but it is quite pricey.
Other, more reasonably priced linestages that I have heard and liked include the Joule 150, and the lower-priced Audionote (uk) models.