Redbooks: as good on Sony SACD as on Cary 303?

Thanks to all for your responses...I'm hoping more folks will be inclined to share their experiences, too. Abecollins, you simply must tell us the results if you ever get the chance to compare your Cary 306 to a quality SACD player. Your comments could be very illuminating! And now I'm also curious about your views on the 303 vs. the 306. Please comment (here or direct to me)if you have the time and inclination. Thanks.

Pendragn, I did not do an A/B comparison between the Cary 303 and the 306/200 but I did listen to them separately about a month apart. I was extremely impressed and pleased with the Cary 303 and could easily live with that player for a long long time. Its a great value. The 306/200 uses 8 DACs and the new PMD-200 digital filter and has 24bit/192KHz upsampling. It does sound a bit better than the 303 especially with upsampling enabled but is it worth the $2000 (LIST) price delta? I can't answer that.

I do like the fact that the 306/200 has digital inputs that allow me to use it as an outboard DAC for my other digital sources. I can select from AES/EBU, Toslink, or Coaxail inputs from the front panel or the remote. I have my Adcom 5-disc changer driving the Coaxial input so I can play the Adcom thru the Cary's DAC's for some awesome sound from an inexpensive changer.

The 24bit/192KHz upsampling is impressive with a noticeable improvement in depth, air, and dynamcis - something that wasn't so noticeable to me in the 24bit/96KHz upsampling MSB Gold Link III DAC. An outstanding DAC for the price, BTW.

I should mention that an audiophile on http://AudioAsylum.com traded in ther Sony SCD-777ES for a Cary 303. She reported that the Sony sounded flat and boring compared to the Cary's rich and musically engaging sound on regular CD playback.

Thank you, Abecollins, for your very helpful description/information on the Carys. Your last paragraph is very telling and will weigh heavily in the mix as I consider my own answer to my thread's question. Audiophiles like you are much appreciated by those less in the know (i. e. - me).

I just traded in my Sony SCD777es for the new Cary 306/200. I couldn't be more thrilled! After having the Sony for about 6 months, it seemed I was just not satisfied with what I was hearing. I was constantly looking for other players even though I had a brand new one on my shelf. Sony SACD was very detailed and open but still had a digital or bright sound to it (not to mention the lack of available titles)! I never A/B'd them side by side but I have no question as to the improvement I felt with the Cary. I found the musicality I was missing. With the Cary, the warmth and fullness was more present and the detail was there. The biggest surprise was that the sound stage seemed to double in size! Cary blows the Sony redbook out of the water, no doubt. The SACD on the Sony is good but I much prefer the melodiousness of the Cary.

If you want a bright, detailed, hard edged, in-your-face type player, Sony is definately the one for you. If you still want the detail but like a warmer, sweeter, enveloping player, you should find a way to audition the Cary 306/200!

In my experience, I've found that THD (total harmonic distortion) and S/N (signal to noise ratio) are the best indicators of sound quality - newer chipsets, increased power supplies and DACs notwithstanding.

For example, the Cary 303 has a spec'd THD of 0.0008%(1 kHz) and a S/N of 120 dB(1 kHz). The Cary 306 has a spec'd THD of 0.0008%(1 kHz) and a S/N of 122 dB(1 kHz). On paper, the 306 should sound a tad better because of the higher S/N - the THD is the same. This appears to be the consensus of posts I've read about the two players. I've heard both myself in a side by side comparison and the 306 was just a little bit better, but not much - IMHO the sonic differences were so slight that the 306 didn't merit the increased cost.

I think folks get so caught up in the chipset/power supply/DAC "thing" that they disregard basic sonic measurements. These measurements are quite palpable. IMHO, all the commotion about SACD vs. DVD-A vs. HDCD vs. Redbook CD is just a bunch of hooey. I don't think format should be the deciding issue. In fact, one can read about many instances where a high-quality CD player (playing Redbook CDs) sounds better than a lower quality SACD player. Most times, the quality differential is in the sonic measurements of the machines, NOT the chipsets, etc.

In short, first look to the specs. of the player(s) you have in mind(regardless of format) to weed out inferior machines. Then, A/B audition (if possible) to choose what sounds best to your ears.