Slipsik 8

[Tony Tune-age]

To close the loop, I have now ordered a Slipsik and am very excited. ;)

I seriously thought about staying with moving magnet cartridges for awhile, and if I had there's no doubt I would be using the Slipsik 8 phono preamplifier! And it can be used for some high output moving coil cartridges as well.

[JoDeKo]

Yes, as I said, my LP12 has a LINN MC with Urika and Radikal. I have now bought a Thorens turntable with an SME headshell additionally. I "actually" wanted to remain as flexible as possible so that I could try out a few cartridges. However, the Adikt is already playing quite well with an Exposure Pre that I no longer feel like changing it. I'm curious to see how it harmonizes with the Slipsik. If I do want to play a bit, there's still plenty of choice of MMs and High MCs.

[JoDeKo]

Welcome to the family. ;)

LejonSlip8..jpg

Thanks, Fredrik, I'm just starting to listen, but it's already very encouraging

[Arjen]

Welcome to the family. ;)


LejonSlip8..jpg


Thanks, Fredrik, I'm just starting to listen, but it's already very encouraging

Enjoy Jo!

[JoDeKo]

Thanks, Arjen!

[JensA]

Just want to say „thank you“, as I am very happy owner of a Slipsik 8 for a couple of months now.
It works great with my LP12 / Adikt

Jens

[lejonklou]

Very nice to hear that you’re happy with it, Jens!

[Tangram]

Greetings from Toronto,

First post. Looks like a good group of guys! After an email exchange with Fredrik, I’ve ordered a Slipsik 8 from my local dealer, which should arrive in a week or two. How I use my Slipsik may interest some of you, as I am pairing it with a high-end SUT (Allnic AUT-2000) and an Etsuru Urushi Cobalt Blue MC cartridge, rather than using it with a MM cartridge. I’ve used the SUT with two other phono preamps previously (Luxman EQ-500 and EAR Yoshino 868pl) and it outperforms the internal SUTs on both by a good margin, especially in dynamics. It will be interesting to see how the Slipsik performs in this application. I still own the other phono preamps so I may do a shoot out (but not until the fall - Canadians cherish their short summers!) but regardless, happy to be part of a community of music lovers who appreciate what Fredrik does.

Dave

[Arjen]

welcome Dave. Let us know about your experiences with the Slipsik. Enjoy. Arjen

[Tangram]

Thanks Arjen. High end, dedicated MM phonostages aren’t that common so I’m curious to see how the Slipsik compares with the MM stages of my MM/MC phono preamps. The Luxman is actually an odd duck in today’s market, since there’s more adjustability (impedance and capacitance) for MM cartridges than MC cartridges (only MC High and MC Low settings), a nod (I think) to Japanese tastes. But it’s a complex beast, with lots of “stuff” the signal passes through. I’m a minimalist by nature (the Luxman was purchased when I briefly toyed with adding a second tonearm) but I came to my senses and that thought has passed.

[Tangram]

The Slipsik 8 arrived and was swapped into my system two days ago, paired with my Allnic AUT-2000 SUT and an Etsuro Urushi Cobalt Blue MC cartridge. Thanks to Matt Thomas at Hearken Audio near Toronto for getting me sorted out. I really need to live with the Slipsik for a month to make detailed comments on the sound but I will say two things. First, it is absolutely dead quiet. I have it isolated from potential sources of interference but nothing special. Second, music is FUN and EXCITING through the Slipsik. I’m with Fredrik in not caring how things measure as long as I’m moved by the music.

I’ll limit my comments to those two for now.

[lejonklou]

Thank you for sharing your impressions, Tangram!

Very happy to hear that you like it.

[ThomasOK]

Welcome to the forum, Tangram. I meant to post this earlier and let you know the Slipsik 8 was on the way but now you have it. I'm glad you are liking it so far.

The Slipsik 8 is used with SUTs more than you might think. Several of my dealers sell them and have found that even SUTs that sell for a few times the price of the Slipsik itself are extremely musical when teamed up with it. Sometimes an SUT is chosen for a cartridge that won't work well with the Entity, like most EMT cartridges with standard windings that give a 1mv output - too high for an Entity. In those cases an SUT into the Slipsik 8 is a great alternative. Also a number of people just prefer using an SUT. I have one dealer who recently sold an Entity and a Slipsik 8 with SUT in the same week to two different customers, providing both with very musical setups.

I look forward to reading how you like it after you have used it and it is burned in fully.

[Tangram]

Thanks Thomas. I’m glad to hear some other SUT fans are using Slipsiks, since I took a chance in purchasing one without first auditioning it in my system.

I try to be aware of my own biases, especially during the period when a new piece of gear has just been swapped in, but I’ll share a little vignette from last evening. I usually shut things down at the same time every night but I was enjoying myself so much that a regular listening session became an extended listening session. Of course this could just be the result of the novelty of a change in system sound, but it could have also gone the other way!

[Tangram]

I've had quite a bit of "seat time" with the Slipsik over the past week, owing to some unseasonably cold and drizzly weather here in Toronto. Recall from my previous post I am pairing it with an Allnic SUT, but with that in mind, I'd like to share some impressions. If I were to characterize the Slipsik with one word, I would call it "generous". Compared to the Luxman EQ-500 (also using the same SUT) the Slipsik is most notable for its full, rich bass, while still retaining the inner bass detail that I enjoy. Perhaps because of the lower noise floor compared with my tubed phono preamps, I also find it is the most dynamic setup. I was listening to a Tony Williams album (Angel Street, one of four he made for Blue Note in the '80s) and on more than one occasion I actually jumped a bit in my seat because I was startled by a particularly violent drum "thwack."

This plush bass is very much to my liking (although it may not be for everyone). It seems to underpin a richness to pretty much any music genre I play. I find myself listening at higher volumes than normal, which occasionally gets me into trouble with aggressive highs on less-than-perfect recordings, but then, when I dial back the volume a bit, I still find the sound highly engaging. I don't honestly think I've gained much over the Luxman in the detail/coherence department. One test I use is a Rickie Lee Jones album, Flying Cowboys (gorgeous sound) in which I do my best to understand what she's singing (not an easy task). I don't believe my "hit rate" has improved with the Slipsik. But the vocals themselves are beautifully, lushly rendered.

The Slipsik also seems to do a great job reproducing anything plucked. There's something about the decay of a plucked string that makes me feel like I've crawled right into the body of an acoustic guitar. Talk about immersive.

Using the Slipsik 8 with a SUT is an exciting, fun experience. While the Luxman is polite, the Slipsik is a bit of a party animal. Again, very much to my tastes. But that rollicking, energetic sound doesn't seem to have any real downside. Maybe that will change as the months tick by and the novelty wears off, but I am quite comfortable in saying that to my ears, and for my tastes, the Slipsik betters Luxman's very sophisticated reference phono preamp in every way. Consider that high praise.

[Tendaberry]

and for my tastes, the Slipsik betters Luxman's very sophisticated reference phono preamp in every way. Consider that high praise.

Wow, that IS high praise. Very interesting to hear about the combination with the Allnic SUT!

[Tangram]

I've had the Slipsik 8 in my system for two months now. My original impressions are essentially unchanged - its "generous" sound suits my tastes, as I tend to like a bit of meat on the bone and this phono pre delivers. Now that the honeymoon period is over I'll say two things:

1) The Luxman EQ-500 is up for sale.
2) My EAR Yoshino 868pl will be up for sale shortly.

The Slipsik/Allnic combination is a keeper. For anyone running one tonearm with a MC cartridge, combining the Slipsik with a SUT that is a good cartridge match should be a serious phono preamp consideration.

[Charlie1]

Connected my Slipsik 8 to the office system with 50+ year old Naim amps and I think they work well together. Here with K9:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/v8kp67vv ... aaurp&dl=0

[beck]

Connected my Slipsik 8 to the office system with 50+ year old Naim amps and I think they work well together. Here with K9:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/v8kp67vv ... aaurp&dl=0

Yes, I like it. :-)

[woodchamber]

I've been listening to a well-rehearsed Slipsik 8 for about a week. The word that comes to mind most when I listen is balanced. And the ability to present the recording and pressing as it is. To give just one example, on the Frank Sinatra album Only the Lonely it is very clear how the setup and the distance from the microphone for the vocals changes here and there. To cut a long story short, I've actually already forgotten about the Slipsik 8 in my chain. I don't think there could be a better indicator.

I'm currently using two different Sommer Epilogue cables. I don't know whether a Linn Silver MKl or MKII gets even more out of the Slipsik. In my opinion, the Epilogue cable combination is currently the most balanced I've heard so far. It has no overemphasis.

I have a Nagaoka JT-80BK in use, with a stst Motus II DQ turntable and stst Vertex 10" tonearm.

Cheers Florian

[Charlie1]

To cut a long story short, I've actually already forgotten about the Slipsik 8 in my chain. I don't think there could be a better indicator.

I agree, that's a great indicator.

A similar one (or perhaps it's just the same really) is that your mind is not thinking, 'This is great - what's next?', and instead you are just enjoying the music as it is.

Glad to read that you're so pleased with it.

[lejonklou]

And I am really glad too!

Thank you for sharing, woodchamber!

[ThomasOK]

Nice comments, woodchanber. One of the reviewers, who now has all Lejonklou electronics, said something similar. He stated that when the Lejonklou electronics were in the system he just wasn't aware of their presence - he just heard the music.

[woodchamber]

Okeey I'm now in the Linn Silver camp. Just found a older used one for 120€ here in Germany. Compared to my Summer Cable Epilouge the Silver is more stereo, or as described in the Entity's Stereophile review "more refined, dimensional, and tonally richer". These are attributes that I can understand here myself. As has often been described here in the forum, a combination that makes sense. Thanks a lot!

[woodchamber]

Just for your entertainment, today I connected a borrowed Audio Technica AT-1000T SUT to my set up, with an AT-33PTGII MC. The Slipsik 8 works perfectly there too.

Cheers
Florian