Hearing the Cary players are made in Asia is disheartening.
I checked on my Granite, and did not see a "Made in" anywhere on the player, interestingly enough. Still, I believe that all Granite equipment is made in Arizona, but I could be wrong. Nevertheless, the 650 is a wonderful player that meets your budget, so I still recommend it. I was listening last night to the player in 650 (solid state) and 657 (tube) modes, and in 650 mode, the player is extraordinarily weighty, dynamic, and punchy in the bass and smooth in the midrange and treble. Tube mode seems to not have the bass oomph, but adds some sparkle and shimmer to the midrange and treble.
I checked on my Granite, and did not see a "Made in" anywhere on the player, interestingly enough. Still, I believe that all Granite equipment is made in Arizona, but I could be wrong. Nevertheless, the 650 is a wonderful player that meets your budget, so I still recommend it. I was listening last night to the player in 650 (solid state) and 657 (tube) modes, and in 650 mode, the player is extraordinarily weighty, dynamic, and punchy in the bass and smooth in the midrange and treble. Tube mode seems to not have the bass oomph, but adds some sparkle and shimmer to the midrange and treble.