[Voodoochilly]

Does anyone know if ther is a way to tell if the Cary V12 or the V12i has been upgraded to a V12r? I know when bought new they have the tag on the front but other than that is there a way to tell? Thanks.

[JakeJ]

One way would be to contact Cary and ask.  They should be able to tell you through the serial number.

[jazzcourier]

Having owned one of those at one time i know the V12 "R" refers to the color red.So i was told by the unhelpful lot at Cary.

[Voodoochilly]

I thought all the models were red?? I have never seen any other color....

[jazzcourier]

You can see both red and black via Google images.Red is by far the more attractive.

[kgturner]

According to the manuals, on the V12i, the i stands for "inspired" while on the V12R, the R stands for "racing". The Jaguar Red was the nicest looking in my opinion.

The easiest way to tell if your 12 is an i or an R is based on the inputs tubes. The V12i uses two 6922 for input tubes and two EL84 for current source tubes. The V12R uses two 12BZ7 (or 12AY7 or 12AX7) for inputs tubes and two EL84 for current source tubes. The V12i was updated out of what Cary learned while making the AES Six Pacs. The owner's manual for both models can be found here:

http://www.caryaudio.com/pdfs/manuals_archive/Cad280SA_V12i.pdf

http://www.caryaudio.com/pdfs/manuals/V12r.pdf

Kevin T

[Voodoochilly]

Hey thanks alot for the info Kev..I'm going to look at

[Voodoochilly]

Oops.. I'm going to look at a unit tommorow and wanted to make sure I have all my facts in order..

[Voodoochilly]

I agree Jazzcurrier.. The red is the best!

[JakeJ]

<snip>
The V12i was updated out of what Cary learned while making the AES Six Pacs.
<snip>

That right there is some very interesting information.

[kgturner]

I actually owned the Six Pacs and the V12R (though at different times). The Six Pacs were the first "Cary" to utilize the 12BZ7. Apparently Dennis Had loved the sound of the 12BZ7 so much that he updated both the V12i and Rocket 88 to utilize the tube. Hence the V12R and Rocket 88R.

Kevin T

[Voodoochilly]

I can't wait to hear the v12r... They are going to be setup with a pair of 1.5 Maggies. When you had your 12r what preamp did you use? I hear they seam to really like the SLP98...

[Lissnr]

When you audition, especially with the power hungry Maggies, I would not be switching to any level of partial triode...at least at first. The full 100watt ultralinear sounds fantastic and you can always play with both the input and power tubes if you're looking for a little more warmth. I found the triode mode(s) ok in a few late night/low-key/mellow music applications but the ultralinear was far and away best in my particular application and tastes. It is a fantastic amp. I have the latest generation V12R in the factory special "F1 edition" and it quickly became one of my favorite amps of all time (and i have had my fair share). I teamed it with a Sonic Frontiers Line 3 SE and had excellent results. Note it does run fairly hot, and give it some decent warm-up time to sound its best (I give my whole system a good 30 min before critical listening) but it is well built, tremendously flexible, easy to maintain, and glorious in its abilities...IMHO... I hope it works out for you if the deal and particular unit warrant it. Good luck and happy Lissn'n.

[kgturner]

I used the V12R with a Supratek Dual Cabernet. The pairing was nice and I expect the V12R to perform very well with the SLP-98.

Kevin T

[Voodoochilly]

So to update...I went and checked out the V12r and I must say..it was much better looking than I thought. What a great sounding and cool looking amp. And yes, it is now safetly tucked away in my closet until the room is done... 

Lissnr...I took your advice and didn't play around with the settings too much. I have Chess Classics 1960 cd I brought to listen to. Played it in Triode 1st 20min or so after about a 30min warm up...On a couple of tracks the maggies sounded very nice...just need some more bass for me..they switched it up to the UL...what a difference...still could use a little more bass but sounded really nice. Then we hooked up a pair of Nola's..not sure of the model..and they were horrible IMHO..Im not sure if the maggies are the right speaker fit. Still would like to hear the 3.5 or 3.6

Any speaker suggestions to checkout that match good with the V12r? I also, just picked up my SLP98 F1.

[justlisten2]

Cary first came out with the V12, and it was very popular. A warm, very tubey sounding amp. Then there was pressure to come out with a newer model (as is normal in this industry), hence the V12i. After a short initial burst on the scene, dealers and folks started realizing that the V12i was a step backward, not an improvement. So then Cary came out with the V12r, which most folks claim, undid the damage of the "i" version and had the amp sounding sweet again, like the original V12.

[mclsound]

Hi guys
Not to rehash but would love to hear some more descriptions on these V12r's.I am looking into a pair of mono's and would love to hear some feedback.I am ""NEW"" to tubes and not sure if a 100-200w tube amp is the same output as a 100-200w SS amp.
I have used a Classe CA-400 on my top end in the past with great results(and unlimited power) and was wondering if these Cary's will keep up as I was told that a tube watt is about 3 solid state watts(100w tube=300w SS  ??).
Vchilly-did you get them going?