Cary 306/200 CD Player vs VPI Scout

As someone who's owned both a Rega P25, & a Cary 303-200 for years, I think it's such an "apples to oranges" comparison it's almost impossible to get a definitive answer (like "SS vs. tubes"). It's great if you can own both. I could live w/o vinyl (for awhile) if I had to, but not CD &/or SACD. Also, like you say, by the time you add a cartridge, phono stage (& don't forget a good record cleaning machine like a VPI), it can be complicated & expensive to get into vinyl.

I'm really happy with my P25 with a Benz Glider. It took me a long time to pick up a nice used phono stage (CJ-EF1) at a great price. In the same system, I'd say my Cary CDP beats it out on most recordings. And my Sony DVP 9000-ES is terrific on SACDs & DAD's, probably better than either CD or vinyl.

But then, nothing "sounds like" vinyl. Tho IMO CD's are a lot more consistant, & way easier to deal with.

Steveaudio, that's some good practical advice. Those were my initial biases and, I hoping to either validate or dissprove them in this post. I guess it's like that classic convertible; it's a great third car.

What would you do with all your CDs? You need something to play them. If you are into this for music, this should be a big part of your decision. If you are a gear collector, (and I don't think there is anything wrong with that if you are) or don't have many CD, you might go all analog, but if you enjoy the music on your discs, you shouldn't get out of digital entirely.

The classic convertible analogy is valid but a bit flawed. If you can afford to have a classic convertible sitting in the garage and take it out a few glorious days a year it's a blissfull experience. If you live in Southern California you can experience lots of bliss. Keeping a classic ragtop up is a pain and they are not everyday drivers so they are limited. You can however, spin vinyl everyday. But you can't play it in your car so I guess that's a limitation. Never heard the 303/200 though I drool to own one, but a good clean record on a turntable well set up for half the Cary's cost will sound heavenly. Also, I have never set a CD spinning and sat and reverently held and read the jewel case. But Steveaudio is right about the "accessories" needed run the cost on up there toward the price of a good CD player. I sure miss my 71 442 Olds ragtop. I don't however, miss the trouble it was to keep in good shape. But that being said there is no experience like either and my record collection is still growing even though the convertible is gone. The extra time and effort vinyl takes for enjoyment is worth it for me. IMHO strings and piano keys almost always sound better on vinyl. My advice would be before you catch analogue flu (make no mistake, it is a very serious disease), hookup with someone,if possible,who has a nice TT setup and ask them over to play it through your system and see what your ears tell you. Another option would be just buy a modest rig like a Rega P3, MH MF 2.1 or MF5 and a few good pressings and live with that a while to just to wade into the water before you dive in deep with a VPI Scout. I think modest TT setups will give you the highest % of all the sound that's there and moving up buys you incrementally less than as you move up with CD front end. A modest rig would help you decide if you like the vinyl experience/culture and you can always sell the modest rig for not much loss and move up if the flu is caught. I think steveaudio is saying he enjoys both CD and vinyl, and I do too, though they are different experiences.

I do not own the Cary 306/200, however I have owned the Cary 303/200 and the VPI Scout for several years, and what you are asking is really a matter of taste and personal criteria. They are both excellent pieces of equipment, however they, in and of themselves, will not answer your question. Whether you want to go the LP or CD route is something that only you can determine, and this gets down to whether you want to get into the LP, cleaning and maintenance that they require, versus the relative convenience of CDs.

This is a choice that you must make. If you are going to go one way only then you have to decide which route is best for you.

Good luck.

AEW