Guide
Vinyl with Cary: phono and preamplifiers
How vinyl fits into a Cary system: the VT-500 phono stage, the SLP preamplifiers and how to combine them with the DMS platform.
Although Cary Audio is known for its valves and the DMS streaming platform, its catalogue also covers vinyl playback through phono stages and preamplifiers. This guide explains the roles without prescribing third-party cartridges or turntables.
Dedicated phono stage (VT-500)
The VT-500 is Cary’s dedicated phono stage, with MM/MC compatibility to connect a turntable to a preamplifier or integrated amplifier with a line input.
Line preamplifiers (SLP-05 and SLP-98)
The SLP-05 and SLP-98 preamplifiers act as the system’s line control centre. The SLP-98P variant adds an integrated MM phono stage, an alternative to the VT-500 when you prefer phono inside the preamplifier.
Vinyl and digital in the same system
A system can combine the DMS platform for streaming with a vinyl chain (the VT-500 or a preamplifier with phono). To see how both sources coexist, see the hybrid-systems guide.
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