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Model: | 306/200 |
Category: | CD Player/Recorder |
Suggested Retail Price: | $5000 |
Description: | Upsampling CD player and DAC |
Manufacturer URL: | Cary Audio Design |
Review by EdM (A) on April 09, 2002 at 07:17:15 IP Address: 160.79.220.130 |
Add Your Review for the 306/200 |
I have heard many, many cd players- mostly at shows- but I have heard Meridian, Levinson, Krell, & Wadia. I have personally auditioned at home, the Arcam CD72 and FMJ23, The Norh CD-1, most of the Pioneers and Sonys (including the 333 and 777 series), and I owned the Muse 5 and 2 and currently own the Muse 8 and 296. So I feel I have a pretty fair perspective on CD players in general. The Muse 5 & 2 combo were the best I had ever heard until I got the 8 & 296. I prefer the Muse over any of the brands above although I do believe that an actual HOME audition is critical to anyone's selection. This is certainly the case regarding the Cary.I have heard Cary at the shows and did not think they were spectacular. Although interesting, I was not driven to consider one until my Muse began spending more time in the shop than in my room. So I began looking around at CD players intending to keep my Muse 296 DAC which is just wonderful.
One thing led to another and the Cary keep popping up to the top of my list and I intended to get the 303/200 but was able to find a great deal on the 306/200 at very nearly the same price.
Okay, I'm getting to it. The 306/200 arrived and it was pretty amazing at how heavy this unit is- 35 lbs or so. The build is excellent and while not a "jewel" (like the Musical Fidelity) the look is okay.
So despite Cary's warnings about 100 hour break in, I popped in a CD and sat back. People, prepare to be blown away! From the first few notes I already knew this is something extraordinary.
The soundstage is unbelievable. It just expanded in all directions. My smallish 10 X 11 room sounds like a concert hall (okay a small intimate concert hall). Imaging is precise and pinpoint. But the detail and resolution are just amazing.
So after that first listen, I left the 306 on play for the next 4 days straight and just let it burn. This weekend I was finally able to sit and listen to all kinds of selections. The soundstage is still there and still I can't believe that a CD layer makes this improvement. What circuit design factors or components choices cause this? Is there a line in the engineer's design manual that says, "Use this capacitor or this transformer to increase sound stage" ? Or does this just happen by happy accident?
The detail and resolution are also still evident. When a guitar string is plucked you hear the musician's finger sliding up the string, you hear the note, the air humming, and the gradual diminishing, but all so quickly. There is not a single evidence of harshness, grain, or edge but even the brushes on the drums are no longer just indistinct sounds but as fully formed as every piano key.
I have a highly modified Pioneer PD-65 with a new power cord and Superclock that only get used as a transport to my Muse 296. I was pretty happy using this while the Muse 8 was in repair. That term- "not in the same league" comes to mind. Not only is the Cary not in the same league, it is not in the same universe!
The Cary easily beats the Muse 8 as well, which also astounds me. Not as much as the Pioneer or Arcam or Nohr but it is clearly a higher resolving machine and has a much better overall presentation of the music. I was fortunate to be able to hear Keiko Matsui in concert on Sunday and than come home and listen to her CDs on the Cary for comparison. Let me put it this way, I was able to attend TWO Keiko Matsui concerts Sunday night. Dim the lights and close your eyes and she is there playing for me.
HDCD: I was not aware how many of these I owned until the Cary. It does sound quite good. Turns out most of Keiko's are HDCD and I had the Time Out from Brubeck. Wonderful, wonderful reproduction without being overdone like some SACDs and DVD-Audio.
Upsampling: Remote controlled on the Cary so you can flip back and forth. Make's a hell of a difference on some recordings and none on others and makes some sound horrid. So far, interestingly enough, upsampling to 24/192khz seems to work best on the HDCD encoded discs.
Dislikes: Seems like all the manufacturers have jumped on the blue LED bandwagon. While they are cool, man they need to tone down the brightness! Every one I have seen is just way too much. I put little lens caps on the Muse 296 and the Cary is worse. Glaring bright blue lights all over the thing.
Remote: again, the mfgs go from one extreme to the other. You either get a super cheap piece of plastic or like the Cary- a ridiculously heavy aluminum slab. I know this is supposed to portray "high end" to your friends but come on. This thing must weigh two pounds! So far only Gryphon seems to have this remote thing together.
In the next week or so hopefully I will be getting one of the first Resolution Audio Opus 21 CD players so I will be able to make a direct comparison between the Muse 8, the Cary 306 and the Opus 21.
To sum up, the Cary 306/200 is a significant advance in music playback. If you spend 1/2 the price would it be half as good? Don't think so. If you spend twice or three times or four times more than the Cary 306/200 would be that many times better? No way! I can not imagine that a $10,000 player would be anywhere near worth twice as much as the Cary. Actually I can't even see it being 1 or 2 % better, the Cary is that good.
Product Weakness: | Blue LEDs too bright, remote just too much. |
Product Strengths: | Sounstage, imaging, resolution, totally quiet and noise free transport |
Associated Equipment for this Review: | |
Amplifier: | Muse 150 Monoblocks |
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | Muse 3 |
Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Cary 306/200 |
Speakers: | PMC FB-1, Alon Capri |
Cables/Interconnects: | Empirical Audio |
Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Keiko Matsui, McKennit Fleetwood Mac |
Room Size (LxWxH): | 10 x 11 x 9 |
Room Comments/Treatments: | Accoustics First |
Time Period/Length of Audition: | 1 week |
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): | Dedicated Circuits |
Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
Follow Ups:
Thanks for the review. I currently am using an 18 mo old CD306. Can anyone comment how the new 306/200 sounds compared to the 306? I like mine, but am wondering if the new one sounds significantly better?Thanks
A CD player is on my "2upgrade" list, and I was wondering about this one. So, now I know to check it out.Good comparisons and a nice read.
I agree with your assessment of Aluminum remotes as being too heavy and too cold. If a manufacturer wants to be high-end in these, I would suggest milled delrin or something similar in the plastics family.I have a Classe CAP-100 with an Aluminum remote that I dislike. The funny thing is that the face plate of the Classe is so thick that the infrared receiver can only receive the control signals through a very narrow angle, practically, only when it is aimed straight-on. For all practical purposes I don't use the remote. I have to laugh at all this high-end foolishness.
Has anyone ever compared a Cary 306/200 (or maybe a 303/200) with Wadia 830 or 831? Searched but didn't see any such comparisons.If so, what are the findings? Thanks.
I own the 303/200 & just auditioned the Wadia 301 in my house. It blows away the 303. It is closer in comparison to the the 306/200. I gave serious consideration to the Wadia. But after waying out the 306 vs 301 (there are things I like & dislike about both) I have decided to go with the Cary 306, but it is very close. The 303 is a very good cdp but not in either the 306 or 301 league.
I didn't realize the Wadia 301 was available yet. From what I can tell so far, the new Wadia 301 is priced around $3,500, just a little more expensive than the Cary 303/200 ($3,000 msrp) the but much less expensive than Cary 306/200 (msrp $5,000).So, it's not clear to me ..... you're going to trade in your Cary 303 for a Cary 306 instead? What was the ultimate deciding factor of choosing the Cary 306 over the Wadia 301?
Could you please expand your thoughts about what you liked and disliked about Wadia 301 and Cary 306? Thanks!
The Wadia to my ears presents the individual instruments a little better. What I mean by that is the instruments sound a little more natural in sound which I liked. But I thought its over all sound was a little thin compared to the 306, which I found to have an over all smoother or what some people might say is a warmer sound. Some people might prefer that trait of the Wadia. I also found the Wadia to be built better then the Cary, not that the Cary is not built well. As far as cost there appears to be a much bigger mark up on the Cary, which allows dealers to discount them more so then other players. There was not much difference between the 306 & 301 in price. The other thing is the Wadia has not been mass shipped yet, which might explain the dealers not discounting them as much. Though the dealer had a 301, he was not sure how long it would take to get more. I am not real comfortable with what is going on with Wadia. As you may or may not know Wadia went out of buisness a year or so ago & there products & some employees were picked up by a company who now owns the name. This could be why it is taking so long for the 301 to come out. Either way I do not think you could go wrong with either player, they are both excellent in their own way. As I said my preference is the Cary.
Can anyone compare:
Wadia 301 - msrp $3500
Linn Ikemi - msrp $3500
Cary 306/200 - msrp $5000
?
yep ...the 306/200 is more upfront and refined sounding. It has a BIG, richer sound, that keeps your attention long after many players have lost it. To me - it sounds closer to the Mark Levinson type of sound then - lets say the meridians or naims. That said - i liked the ML39 but found that - overall - the 306 had an much nicer tonal balance and a sweeter top end (The ML weakest link?). I think the 39 was a bit better down low, were the 306 can come sound just a touch slow. However - IMO it totally justifies it's 'street price'.
the ikemi is leaner and faster, but with less punch although it certainly is more defined - esp in the low frequencies. It has one of the best high frequency's in the business, although it's relaxed presentation can come across (and often does) as a liability. Transparency is a strong point ... even during dynamic peaks. THe ikemi pulse based power supply does not 'gel' well with all equipment and synergy is a must with this player.
Both do HDCD near it's best!!!
When compared to the sound of (my) vinyl - IMO the Ikemi is closer, although neither player can duplicate vinyls extreme frequencies and dynamic range.
TBone
Well, I did the comparisons a while back but with the older Wadias and a Cary 303. Haven't heard the 301. I liked the Ikemi, but unlike a lot of inmates who *love* their Linns, I found it a bit laid back in my system. I also auditioned a Resolution Audio CD55, another fine player, but a bit cool tonally for my taste.I ended up prefering and buying the 303, mainly because I liked the tonal qualities, dynamics and soundstaging of the Cary player. It finally came down to which player sounded the most like music to me, especially on massed strings, piano and vocals. The Cary three oh six would've been even better, but wasn't within my budget at the time. You might like the Ikemi better in your system with your music.
Given that the upsampling Cary is usually substantially discounted by dealers, it would be a must audition IMO for anyone considering a player in the $3000 and up range. I haven't had the pleasure of hearing the highly touted French players...Metronome, Audio Aero etc.
Hi JT,Just wondering which dealer you auditioned the Wadia 301?? How was the new metal remote that came with the 301? Is it similar to the 861's remote??
Thanks....RAY
Audio Connection in Verona, NJ. See or speak to John Rutan. He is a great guy. He cary's the full line of Wadia cdp's. I do not know what the 861 remote looked like, but the 301 could be used as a weapon (it is heavy solid black metal). It worked very well, but does not have a back lite on it (for $3650 you would think it would have it).
..
Well, that's another good review.I did hear that Wadia was close to going out of business at one point in time, but they seem to have a devoted customer base. It's a shame that small innovative companies with excellent products must struggle to stay alive. Thank you for your insight.
Great review. I recently brought a CARY 303/200 and am extremely pleased with the performance. I also own a Pioneer PD-65/X10-D combo and CARY was significantly better in string reproductiuon, bottom-end slam and high-frequency extension. Imaging and soundstage is breath taking. You said, So far, interestingly enough, upsampling to 24/192khz seems to work best on the HDCD encoded discs. I thought you need to turn off the upsampling for the HDCD to be active. Am I missing something here?? Agree with the Blue light. It is annoying at times.Best Wishes!
PriyaW
Yes, I believe when you turn on the upsampling the HDCD goes off. Still sounds better to me though on some discs.
I also own the Cary 306/200 but my comparision was mostly against a used Mark Levinson No.39 which would have cost about the same as what I paid for my brand new Cary. The Cary was much better over all but of course the No.39 is long in the tooth, replaced by the No.390S.I agree that the Cary's bright blue LEDs can be annoying so I just close my eyes and enjoy the performance! Thanks for the detailed review.
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