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Hi,
I am thinking of moving to SACD player (2 channel). There are two on my list: Cary 306 SACD and Ayre CX-5e. Has anyone listened to both ? which one do you prefer?
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I have heard both and I have the 306. I preferred the Cary's weight in the midrange and bass over the ayre. The ayre is very clean and airy (excuse the pun) sounding but a bit too lean for my tastes.As for the qc problems with the Cary, these are well documented but are isolated to the first production batch. Since July of 06 Cary has upgraded the parts that were causing the problems. I have not had any problems with my Cary since Sept.
... what makes you so confident that all alleged QC problems surrounding the Cary CD 306 SACD are "isolated to the first production batch"? My experience with a current model from what Cary described as the most recent production batch -- frequent "No Disc" errors when loading SACD media, occasional skipping on SACD media, and a dead optical digital input out of the box -- causes me to believe otherwise.And if you think the Cary is so great, why are you selling yours on Audiogon presently (assuming you are the same "tboooe" from San Clemente)?
Hey Guys - I've had my 306 SACD back form CARY for about 3 weeks and have not experienced any of the previous problems (Disk reading, skipping & freezing). To Tboone's point on early production unit problems, I believe my previous unit was an early build, serial number ending in 80. Cary sent me a replacement unit with a serial in the mid 300's. This new unit has been solid and I'm hopeful it remains so. I was without the player for more than 3 months so I do think it's reasonable to be concerned about reliability but based on my experience, the explanation from CARY and the stories I've heard on this board my conclusion is that CARY has addressed the problems. Of coarse - time will tell.
mudshark...i am sure you do not mean to sound so aggressive so i will reply accordingly.When did you purchase your unit? Do you know when it was manufactured? In now way am I trying to be a Cary homer but from what I understand and from speaking with other users, the problems seemed to be isolated to the first batches made, which according to Cary has since been corrected. Perhaps you are experiencing another problem that is not related to the recent updates Cary has made that fixed the problems that plagued the 306 early on.
The reason I am selling has nothing to do with my opinion of the Cary's sound or reliability. I simply need a cdp with a lower output. The Cary outputs 6vrms through xlr. This is simply too much for my system especially since I listen at moderate volumes (55-65db). I need more low level volume control.
Tboooe – You are right that I did not mean to sound aggressive in my prior post. Sorry if you thought my post had bad tone to it. In any event, I appreciate your respectful response.You asked about my Cary CD 306 SACD. The unit I described in my previous post was actually my third CD 306 SACD. I received it direct from Cary on February 21, 2007. Cary informed me at the time that the unit had just cleared customs into the U.S., so I am guessing it was built in early 2007. The serial number of this third unit was 0730640xxx. (Do the first two numbers mean it was built in '07? Perhaps, but I am not sure.)
The two previous units with which I had “No Disc” problems, both of which I returned to Cary, had serial numbers in the range of 0530630xxx (apparently '05 builds?).
I loved the unit’s sound and features, but I could not live with frequent “No Disc” errors … not at these prices, anyway!
I am glad you and Bklyn Jim got replacement 306’s that work consistently and correctly. I wish I had been so fortunate.
For the amount of money it takes to buy one of these players, sonics are only ONE factor (at least for me). The Cary player has suffered from a number of design and QC problems since it was released. The Ayre has been pretty much bullet-proof.
I have no opinion on either machine, good or bad. for the money, they both should sound quite fine. Do have a look at how many of each is for sale used though. A good indicator is whether or not mulitiple units are up for sale on Audiogon. For that matter, a little used unit may suit your needs just fine.
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