Ayre C 5xe Universal vs. Cary 306 SACD

The only concern I would have about the Cary 306 SACD unit at this point would be reliability, as it runs quite hot--apparently. Doesn't greater heat increase the chances of damage where delicate SS circuits are involved?

No heat problems here, standard Billy Bags rack - adequate ventilation.

Keep in mind that any semiconductor, even commercial grade is rated to at least 70 deg C, most are rated to 85 deg C. That's 185 deg F, which would be pretty darn hot.

The unit does warm up, but does not get hot to the touch.

Now that my iron lung is working again, I can finally respond. Tvad, good point. You seemed to have gotten the joke. One can only hope Metralla's quoting you will allow him to attain the bliss of Audiofeil's ignorance. How many qualifiers does it take to express an opinion on Audiogon? Let me rephrase my thought: in my most humble and possibly unworthy, useless and trivial musings, the Ayre C5xe trounced the shit out of the most esteemed, self-deserving and grandiose Redbook competitors. "Your mileage may vary". But then again, an Escalade with 20" spinners usually takes the cake on this site.

I have had the opportunity to listen to both the Ayre and Cary (I own the Cary). As with everything in this whacky hobby it really comes down to personal preference. I do not think the Ayre and Cary sound similar at all. I listened to an all Ayre setup (K1xe + V1xe) with BW 802d speakers. The sound was great! Very holographic, easy, airy. Everything sounded BIG to me. For my taste, it was a bit too BIG and a little lean. Some people would love the detail of the Ayre. I happen to prefer a slightly dark and warm sound with an empahsis on the midrange, which is exactly the Cary house sound. The 306 is just so smooth. The bass is incredible. Do I get the impression that the Cary has as much detail and resolution as the Ayre? No. But that is not to say that the Cary does not have detail and resolution it is just that the character of the Cary presents the music differently. The first impression I get from the Cary is its great midrange and bass. For example, last night I actually got chills listening to the Cary. I could not believe how magical the vocals sounded, so real, so intimate. Again, this suits my listening preferences.

So the bottom line is that both players are great! What sound are you going after? That will dictate which player is right for you.

So....TBoooe, did you listen to both players in the same system, back to back? If you listened to them in different systems, way too many other variables are involved.