What is it about the Cary SLI-80?


I've been wondering for some time now why I see so many Cary SLI-80 int. amps for sale on Audiogon? I've considered getting one for myself because of all the positive things I've read about them, but am I missing something? Naturally, a seller isn't going to register disappointment with the amp. Am I just imagining things or is there something about this amp that leads owners to get rid of them more frequently than average? Or do I just notice them more when they are for sale, since I've been interested in them? I haven't ruled them out for me, yet. Just suspicious that they might not live up to the hype. Help me out. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to harm anyone's reputation, just after some experienced feedback. I owned Cary monoblocks once and loved their sound. Thanks.
misterbill17
Azaud
YOU sound as if you were happy with the Cary what caused you to switch to the Frankensteins and how do they compare?
Hello Gentlemen,

I too had a sli-80, and had no intentions of selling it. One day I had a Mcintosh 2500 power amp walked into my room. It was a friends who wanted me to sell it for him. Out of curiosity I hooked it up with some sub par speaker and power cables I had laying around. It sounded amazing, ( I had an old c-30 preamp as well) the most "real" sound I had yet to hear out of my Spendors (my then speaker) so I had no choice but to sell the Cary. But, I used that money to buy a slp-98 preamp. I owned another Cary preamp long ago, and I have always liked their sound. I think some speakers ( like my Vandersteen 3a's) might need a bit more power then what the sli-80 is capable of, or it may just be a synergy/voicing thing. If you like the Cary sound and your speakers are fairly efficient, I'm sure you'll love the sli-80. If you have been thinking about sli-80's you will definitely see more of them around. They are beautiful.
I appreciate all the responses. They are helpful. Once I owned a pair of Cary 572SE amps and they were incredible. All the hype about tubes was really true! They ended up being a major hassle, though, because of the downfall of the Svetlana 572-3 triode. I went through about 12 defective tubes in 3 months (at about the same time, Dennis Had pulled the amp off the market). I moved to an upgraded McCormack solid state amp and life was easier, but I've never forgotten the seductive sound from those tube amps. The SLI-80 seemed like a relatively painless way to get back in, so I've been giving it a lot of thought. Now I'm thinking even more!
I answered Charles by email; but thought I'd answer the thread also. To continue the drug analogy, the SLI-80 is like snorting.
The Frankensteins are like breaking out the pipe.
Since I don't snort or smoke I will keep my AES Super Amp MkII. It is sweet, musical, authoritative. The new design is cut from the same cloth as the Cary CAD-120S w/ unscale transformers not used in older Cary designed gear. This power amp is unbelievable.