Digital Drive: REVIEW: Cary Audio Design 303/200 CD Player/Recorder by gbeard

Model:	303/200
Category:	CD Player/Recorder
Suggested Retail Price:	$3000
Description:	24/96 Upsampling Cd Player
Manufacturer URL:	Cary Audio Design
Manufacturer URL:	Cary Audio Design

Review by gbeard on July 27, 2002 at 20:16:40
IP Address: 12.222.64.116

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for the 303/200

Iâ€™m gonna say it right up front: In the beginning I did not like the Cary 303/200â€¦
I had been auditioning a Metronome CD2V Signature prior to receiving the Cary 303/200. I really liked the CD2V and came very close to buying it. However, I came to the conclusion that I really wanted a player with a remote volume control, so based on many recommendations, I decided to try the Cary.
No matter what you may have read here on AA, I have found the Cary build quality to be very good. Not up to the standard of my old SCD-777ES perhaps, but solid nonetheless. To date, I have not had one problem with the playerâ€™s operation.
The look of the 303/200 is a bit austere, and yes, the blue ledâ€™s are a bit much if you look at them, and yes, the remote is heavy to the point of being â€œclunkyâ€. But those are miniscule problems in the overall scope of things.
Does the remote work well you may ask? Yes, after you figure out which buttons to push, and when to push them. Is it a nice looking piece of gear? Yes, in my opinion. It has a very clean appearance, is substantial in heft, but not so big as to create a problem fitting it into my rack. The front mounted drawer makes placement easy too. I really like that after having the top loading boat anchor monstrosity of the 777ES. The display is a minor weak point. I canâ€™t even begin to read it when I am in my listening chair (glasses perhaps). The blue is pretty thoughâ€¦
All my listening comments are made using the single-ended outputs only, since I donâ€™t do balanced at my place. I offer no experience with the digital input or outputs either, since I have failed to try them yet. My comparisons will be by memory to the Metronome (auditioned for 3 weeks), the Sony SCD-777ES, and the combo of the 777ES as transport feeding a Perpetual Technologies P-1A/EVS Millennium Dac 1.
The Cary arrived in fine shape in a nicely packed double-boxed shipping carton. I began by setting up the player on a lower shelf of my homebrew flexy rack, and on top of three Daruma III isolation devices. I am presently using my TNT based diy power cord which seems to work much better than the Sidewinder cord I first tried. I put the unit on repeat play for a few days break-in before listening critically.
I have owned the 303/200 for a little over two months now, and it has gone through a number of gyrations in terms of sound quality. Initially, it sounded quite good, and then became a bit edgy for a while before smoothing out. The sound continued to improve little by little for the first few hundred hours until just recently, when it blossomed fully into what I am enjoying at present.
The sound of the Cary is very neutral and dynamic. It has very good treble extension, and excellent bass reproduction. It plays exactly what it is fed, for better or worse. The soundstage is unbelievably wide, and it has good depth. Instruments occupy their own space with reasonable air around them. It is very detailed and seems to resolve difficult passages of music with ease. Tone and timbre are very good as well.
At first listen I didnâ€™t think it was very musical or involving. It played well and even had a slight touch of warmth, but it just didnâ€™t grab me. I started to feel as though I had made a mistake, but so many others have loved the 303/200, I decided to give it some time to flesh out. Recently the player made a great stride in sound quality. Increased depth, a HUGE airy stage, and the recreation of space are now more present than before. The missing musicality and emotion was buried in these spatial cues and additional layering of the stage. Now the sound is a clear, defined, coherent whole.
I canâ€™t say when the player is better with upsampling turned on and when it is better off, but there is clearly a difference on some recordings. I tend to leave it on most of the time, but if a mix is tilted up and a bit edgy, I go with the PMD-200 filter, it seems a bit rolled off at the top. On the other hand, HDCD is significantly better, especially on well-recorded material.
Operationally, the Cary is excellent. The volume control is a nice touch, but may create a slight change in presentation at very low volumes. While listening to Lucinda Williamâ€™s fine recording â€œSweet Old Worldâ€, I noticed a slight softening of the low bass on dynamic passages. And while this was quite easy to hear, I canâ€™t say that there was a lack of resolution in any other part of the audio spectrum. Dennis Had of Cary, had previously explained to me via email, that the volume control varied the analog signal via digital control. I guess that would make it something of a hybrid. I will say that the volume control operates very well, and if there is some loss of resolution other than what I have noted, (for me anyway) it is very hard to hear.
Trying to compare components is difficult, but I know the inquiring minds of AA will want an attempt made, so here goesâ€¦
Operation: 1) Sony SCD-777ES 2)Cary 303/200 3)Metronome (all very close)
Features: 1) Cary 2) SCD-777ES 3) Metronome (Caryâ€™s VC and HDCD puts it on top)
Smoothness: 1) Metronome 2) P-1A/EVS 3) Cary 4) SCD-777ES (Metro hands down)
Frequency extension: 1) Cary 2)SCD-777ES 3) P-1A/EVS 4) Metronome (all very close)
Bass quality: 1) Cary 2) SCD-777ES 3) P-1A/EVS 4) Metronome (all close)
Resolution: 1) Cary 2) SCD-777ES 3) P-1A/EVS 4) Metronome (all close)
Soundstage width: 1) Cary 2) P-1A/EVS 3) SCD-777ES 4) Metronome
Soundstage depth: 1) Metronome 2) P-1A/EVS 3) Cary 4) SCD-777ES (Metro by a mile)
Overall musicality: 1) Caryâ€”Metronomeâ€”P-1A/EVS (tie) 2) SCD-777ES
Note: Sony SCD-777ES ratings reflect redbook playback only.
If you think this result smacks of bailout, youâ€™re right in a sense. All of these players are excellent. The 777ES-P-1A/EVS combo was great, I just didnâ€™t know how great until I had the others for comparison. The Metronome is a wonderful one-box player with a beautiful tube sound, and is highly recommended. The SCD-777ES is a fine redbook player, but in my opinion is not quite as refined as the others for CD playback, but it has SACD.
My quest for a simpler system led me to the Cary 303/200. Personally (especially as a one-box solution for redbook playback), I find the Cary 303/200 to be a fine player that is at least the equal of the others in overall sound quality. Its strength is providing a clear, neutral, and musically convincing recreation of a recording. It is not â€œsweetâ€. It does not sound like analog. And it is not the â€œbestâ€ player in the world. But when features and price are taken into consideration, it is my choice in this group.

Product Weakness: "clunky" remote is too heavy. Display is a bit distracting. Warranty could be longer for a piece of this price range.
Product Strengths: Excellent sound, and good build quality. HDCD capability. Volume control. Relative value.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Berning ZH270 70w/ch
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	First Sound Presence Deluxe Mark II
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Cary 303/200. Technics TT
Speakers:	Merlin TSM-M 87 db
Cables/Interconnects:	Acoustic Zen, Cardas, Homebrew TNT
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Rock, Folk, Classical etc.
Room Size (LxWxH):	16 x 12 x varies
Room Comments/Treatments:	carpet and overstuffed furniture
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Two months plus
Other (Power Conditioner etc.):	RGPS 400
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	"clunky" remote is too heavy. Display is a bit distracting. Warranty could be longer for a piece of this price range.
Product Strengths:	Excellent sound, and good build quality. HDCD capability. Volume control. Relative value.