Rounding out the tweaks were…
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Harmonixing CATs is de rigueur with all the CATnappers I know. Pop the hood and press a single Harmonix RF-57 onto the back of the volume control, and onto five or six points on the perimeter of the circuit board—with one roughly in the center. There's no trick regarding placement; the precious little available real estate on the main circuit board will determine where you can put them. Just be careful not to set the metal tuning device directly upon a circuit trace or solder joint, or you might get roast CAT. ZOTTTTTT! FWOOOOOOOOSH! "Hello, ah, Ken...?"
Robert Deutsch compared the SL-1 with the Balanced Audio Technology VK-5 in November 1995 (Vol.18 No.11):
To compare with the BAT VK-5, I had on hand two preamps considered to be among the best: the Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 and the Convergent Audio Technology SL-1 Signature (footnote 1). The Signature, Stereophile's 1993 Product of the Year, has served for three years as the primary reference preamp in my system; Jack English and Jonathan Scull also use it in this reference capacity. My unit has been updated twice, most recently when I was about halfway though the listening for the BAT…
Russ Novak compared the SL-1 with the Sonic Frontiers SFL-2 in November 1995 (Vol.18 No.11):
My reference system consists of Mirage M1si speakers driven by a Krell KSA-250 amplifier, TARA Labs' superb new RSC Master Generation 2 speaker cables and interconnects, a Museatex CD transport with re-clocking circuit, a Monarchy DAC, a Clear Image Audio T-4 Power Line Isolator, and a Bright Star Big Rock/Little Rock isolation system (sand bases and weights). The system was run balanced between the amp and preamp, but had to be switched to single-ended operation for the preamp comparisons…
Robert Deutsch auditioned the SL-1 Signature mk.II in December 1996 (Vol.19 No.12):
Conventional audio marketing wisdom has it that a company producing only a single product cannot succeed in the marketplace. Dealers want a line of products, varying in price and features, so that they can offer something for every potential customer. It's hard to build much of a following if you have only a single product, and an expensive one at that.
That is, unless your name is Ken Stevens and your product is the Convergent Audio Technology SL-1. Since its introduction in 1985, the…
Sidebar: 1996 System Context
Analog Source: Fully updated Linn LP12, Ittok tonearm, AudioQuest AQ-7000nsx cartridge.
Digital Sources: PS Audio Lambda II and Sonic Frontiers SFT-1 transports, Audio Alchemy DTI•Pro 32 anti-jitter/resolution-enhancement device, Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 Mk.II digital processor, TARA Labs Decade and Illuminati D-60/Orchid digital links; Sonic Frontiers SFCD-1 CD player.
Other Preamplifiers: Balanced Audio Technology VK-5, Sonic Frontiers SFL-2, Jeff Rowland Research Synergy.
Power Amplifiers: Balanced Audio Technology VK-60, Bryston 7B-ST, Jeff Rowland…
Sidebar: 1998 Associated Equipment
Analog source: Updated Linn LP12, Ittok, AudioQuest AQ-7000nsx.
Digital source: PS Audio Lambda II transport, Audio Alchemy DTI•Pro32 anti-jitter/resolution-enhancement device, Sonic Frontiers SFD-2 Mk.II and Processor 3 digital processors (the Processor 3 is a killer), Illuminati D-60/Orchid digital links.
Amplifiers: Sonic Frontiers Power 2, Carver Lightstar 2.0 (review to come).
Loudspeakers: Dunlavy SC-IV, Hales Design Group Revelation Three.
Interconnects, power cables, and speaker cables: mostly TARA Labs Decade. Late in the audition…
Robert Deutsch auditioned the SL-1 Ultimate in August 1999 (Vol.22 No.8):
Ken Stevens is pretty hard on reviewers. Oh, he's a pleasant enough fellow, even congenial. Unfortunately, he has a bad habit: Every couple of years he comes out with an improved version of the Convergent Audio Technology (CAT) SL-1 preamplifier. This results in scads of reviewer praise, which then leaves us scrambling to find new superlatives when he comes out with the next latest-and-greatest version.
After the original Stereophile review of the SL-1 Signature by Jack English (Vol.15 No.12), it fell on me…
Robert Deutsch compared the SL-1 Ultimate with the Balanced Audio Technology VK-40 in July 2001 (Vol.24 No.7):
Considered on its own, the Balanced Audio Technology VK-40 was a very fine-sounding preamplifier, but how did it compare sonically with competing products? I put it up against my reference preamp, the Convergent Audio Technology (CAT) SL-1 Ultimate (see the August 1999 Stereophile). At $5995, the CAT costs about $500 more than the "loaded" VK-40, and lacks a remote control; if you omitted the VK-40's remote option, the difference in price would be $1000. The CAT is a single-…
Sidebar: Specifications
Description: Tube preamplifier with phono stage. Inputs: two line-level, one phono, tape. Outputs: two main plus tape. Frequency response: 0.1Hz-600kHz, +0,-3dB (line), 20Hz-20kHz, ±0.2dB (phono). Voltage gain at 1kHz: 26dB (line), 46dB (phono). IHF sensitivity: 0.12mV. Slew rate: 10V/µs (phono), 15V/µs (line), risetime of 0.6µs. THD: less than 0.001% (phono), 0.0005% (line). Noise: 90dBA below 1V (line), 96dBA below 10mV input (phono). Input overload: 100V (line) and 250mV phono. Input impedance: 50k (line), variable on phono, with 47k and 180pF standard…
I must share with you an e-mail from reader Gene Radice (mediphor@ptd.net), in response to my September "Fine Tunes," on avoiding slap-echo. "Your columns are so refreshing to read," it began.
Thanks, Gene, we're all in this together!
"I had to laugh at your excitement over lining the listening rooms with LPs to inhibit wall reflections. Of course this is a great idea. I figure it was discovered about 1930! Why do you think all the pre-digital radio production studios sounded so good and warm? It wasn't just the ribbon mikes and tube gear. They sounded good even after condenser…