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Musical Fidelity A3.2 v. tubed CD players

Hey-
I have recently made some changes to my system & have moved from seperates to an integrated. I now have a McIntosh MA 6900 and a Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD Player. I used to have a Rogue 66 tube pre & Conrad Johnson MF 2500 amp. Now that I no longer have tubes in my system i've realized the 3.2 is a little too bright - dont get me wrong, its a wonderful & detailed player, just a little too harsh for my tastes. So now im beginning to ponder getting a tubed CD player, i've checked out the Jolida JD100 and that looks like a nice unit... My goal is to eliminate some brightness without losing much detail. Id like to saty under $2K and would prefer a unit with a sliver face. The new Cary 303/300 tube & SS outputs looks sooo tempting! Any suggestion on some warm CD players?

Musical Fidelity A3.2 CD player
Tara Labs ic's
Mcintosh MA 6900 integrated
Luminous Audio Renaissance speaker cables
B&W N804 w/ Sound Anchors

i've swapped the Tara Labs ic's for some various Luminous Audio ic's and havent noticed too much difference between the two...

thanks for reading!
jclyle
jburidan
803 posts
 
I love my Cary 303/300, but it's not warm by any means. Formerly, I used an AH! Njoe Tjoeb 4000 with upsampling, and it can be warm depending on the tubes one uses. Also, I understand the Cary 308T is warm, but I haven't owned it.
Jay
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
your mac has the finest tone controls in the industry. use them
jclyle OP
35 posts
 
jaybo-
yes, i know the mac has tone controls, but i know a case of upgraditis will catch up with me after the holidays :)
robm321
932 posts
 
I have the Cary 308T, and with Mullard tubes, it is as close to the Jolida CDP, but with better detail. Very musical.

If you have the funds though, I'd assume the 303/300 would probably be a step up. I'm just assuming that, so check into it.
philbrady
89 posts
 
Jcyle, I have not heard the A3.2 but have heard the new A5. It is a nice player but the presentation is not as relaxed as others I have heard. The a5 is very detailed and spacious but lacks warmth. I assume the a5 is similar to what you have. The cary 308t would be an excellent choice for a stand alone player. If interested, a non o/s dac would give you a very musical presentation. Many are available for less than $1k that have a more analog presentation than the Musical Fidelity. Check out my setup and cd players I have tried. I was looking for what you were looking for and got there in a roundabout way, (older dac with dvd player), after auditioning the A5, 308T, Marantz 8260, Classe ? (newer model), Jolida 100, Arcam and NAD models. Phil Brady.
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