It "depends". Results can vary greatly from one system to the next.
I have an upgraded Cary V12R tube amp and the latest Cary SA-200.2 solid state amp. I just sold a very heavily upgraded SLI-80 Signature tube amp back to Cary's Certified program. After all the changes, Cary's techs felt my SLI-80 was one of the "best amps they've every heard" in their studio, period" unquote. Reportedly, the new owner absolutely loves it. I felt it was nice, "okay", but not as good as others. It's all subjective and dependent on other equipment, room, and setup. While I felt my former Cary Audio SLI-80 Sig was very nice, I've heard a heavily upgraded/modified Cary V12R that sounded even better; super nice. In all cases, having the right coupling caps, hexfreds, internal wiring, and good tubes installed in the amp with decent interconnects and the right matching speakers really does make a difference. Any of these amps can sound much better with the right upgrades. I've not been too impressed the stock 120S amp yet, it's okay. Seems like it could benefit from upgrades.
I've been messing with going back to trying different high end Cardas copper interconnects between sources to my Cary SLP-98 tube preamp and the Cary SA-200.2 solid state amp. To my own surprise, the SA-200.2 (yes, solid state amp) sounds more tube and lush than many high end tube amps from other brands. Quite amazing in fact. Having a really good (upgraded) preamp in front of any of Cary's amplifiers also make an amazing difference too, including a good set of matching speakers. It all depends, and results can vary greatly from one system to the next, and people hear things differently too.
