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Replace Cary 303/200 with what?

I am considering replacing my Cary 303/200. Cary Audio is sending me a brand new 303/200 (to replace a defect one), I am considering selling it here at Audiogon and buying someting new anyone interested in buying it?). What are some recommendations. I would like to stay at $2,000 and under. Here is what I am considering at this point:
1. Audio Aero Prima
2. Rega Jupiter
3. Ayre CX-7
4. Cairn Fog
5. Moon Equinox
6. Jolida JD100

I am getting these choices after reading various posts here at ag. There are no stores in my area to demo any of these. Will I be down grading by selling the Cary and replacing it with one of these (or other)? I use a Cary SLI 80 tube integrated amp with Paradigm Studio 100s. Any help, advice, tips would be appreciated.
abb9ae7
sbachman
41 posts
 
With Cary's nice customer service and willingness to replace your defective unit; why not stay with the 300/200? You have synergy with your SLI80 and seem to like your CDP. Just my opinion for what it's worth.

Good Listening,

Steve Bachman
Phoenix, AZ
adasilva
57 posts
 
I went through a similar experience with my Classe CDP that I’d purchased as a demo from a local dealer. Classe repaired it after one month of use and then it failed again so I can certainly understand your frustration. The dealer pushed Classe to send me a need CDP and they did. The new Classe CDP sounds better, tracks better, and hasn’t skipped a disk so I kept it.

While I was waiting for the Classe CDP the dealer lent me a Cary 303/200 and I liked the Cary a lot. I demoed about 10 different CDPs and the 303/200 was my favorite under $3k by far. Let us know how the Cary replacement works out and if you liked Cary’s customer service. The CDP is one component that I do not plan on purchasing used.

good luck, Al
abb
2 posts
 
Thanks for the tips and advice. Cary's customer service has been excellent so far, they have replaced each faulty unit with no questions asked. Very friendly. I am just inderested in other options.
abb
2 posts
 
I am seriouly considering the Jolida JD100 to replace the Cary 303/200. I can a new Jolida for $745.00. Will I be sorry I did this? Will I miss the Cary?
dlee
11 posts
 
i'm sort of going thru the same thing...i just bot the ayre cx7. the first thing i noticed about the cx7 was its well-defined bass. also, it brings out subtle 'textures' in the music and has lots of detail. actually, in my system (sim i-5 integrated + epos 22 speakers) the ayre provides too much detail; specifically, the vocals sound abit etchy and digital. dont get me wrong, the ayre is a fine player, but IMHO it wud likely sound better with warmer (eg tube) equipment and warmer/darker speakers. so, i'm thinking about selling the ayre and getting cary 303/200 (!) or jolida 100a. fwiw, i've demo-ed the cx7 and 303/200 thru an audio research amp/preamp (all tube) setup and i thot cx7 was superior in every respect than the cary. i'm begining to think that no amount of $$ can make up for the inherent limitations of redbook (44.1khz/16bit) and that at a certain price point, synergy with the rest of your equipment is quite important. i also demo-ed the fog v2. it's a fine player, too, but has some operational quirks and the US distributor (vmax) is horrible, so caveat emptor.
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