Cary 306 SACD

The practical question is - how to arrange to hear these players side by side in the same system.

The 306-SACD has only been on the street for a month, not too many are around yet. For me, it is sufficient to have this player and I have not had an interest in the other players. As I have had other Cary players, comparing to them is rather easy.

Also, I really don't know anyone with really high end digital gear.

Any suggestions on how to arrange a comaprison?

Oldvinyl - If I recall correctly, you wrote some glowing reviews of the 303/300 on AA some months back. You say that the new 306 SACD is in another league compared to that player. Could you provide some more direct comparisons between the two when it comes to redbook playback?

I have both the 303/200 and 303/300 and am giving some thought to the 306 SACD, though I dislike the idea of joining the "newest player of the month" club. I enjoy the flexibility of the 303/300 output and could live with this player for some time to come, however... I always like to leave the door open for something special.

Also, could you give us some details of the system that your 306 SACD drives?

Advent1,

Wouldn't it depend on whether you want SACD or not?

System: Cary 211 AE mono's, Cary 1610 mono's, Ruark Excalibur speakers, Aesthetix Io Sig w/dual power supplies, AVID Acutus/SME IV/Benz LP. Power cords are PS Audio, interconnects and speaker cables Nordost Valkyrja (Valhalla for the 306-SACD). Digital is Cary 303-300 and now Cary 306-SACD (303-300 is going in second system).

I still really enjoy the 303-300 for CD. I was not at all prepared for the step up in playback of red book CD from the 306-SACD. It sounds more like analog playback than CD. All the typical audiophile attributes got better - air, soundstage, palpability, texture, bass.

The most obvious differences are the soundstage (wider, taller and deeper and extends in to the room) and the bass. The bass on the 306-SACD is really incredible. Thunderous, taut, agile and subterranean. The 306-SACD also has a smoother and more musical presentation than the 303-300.

It is hard to believe that these kinds of improvements are possible.

I used to have a 306-200 and 308T and always intended to have 2 CD players. These 2 are a paradigm shift in CD playback.

Also, SACD is just blowing my mind. It is way better than CD (for well mastered and recorded SACD's) and very close to analog in sound.

Check them out at your dealer and let us know your listening impressions.

Robm321 - All my software is redbook and I really can't see myself replacing hundreds of my favorite CDs with SACD - even if they were available in that format, which many are not. The quality of the redbook playback is what I'm interested in with the 306 and for me, the SACD is just an added feature that I may or may not use.