Looking for opinion, Cary 303/300, thinking about

I forgot that I also owned the DV-50----how could I forget???
MDP:
Anyway, I find almost all cd players sound closed in on top. That is my main problem with them. The only recent cd players that I found to actually sound extended on top to the point of brightness are the new Marantz SA11 (owned that) and the Musical Fidelity A5. It is a false sence of openess, created by a roll off in bass response.

Now I don't find anything warm about analog playback. So I don't equate warm sounding digital to analog. No digital in my experience routinely sounds as open as analog...case closed.

The ARC CD3MK2 is by far the "warmest-darkest-most closed in", the "worst" for me- so there you go.. Naim is also "warw" but has an electronic signature.

The Cary 303/300 is definitely not bright. It has edge definition though, that gives off ambient cues similiar to analog playback. But it still is not open on top like analog. Years ago I heard an ElectroCompaniet at a dealer. I'd say the Cary has a similiar but much more refined sound . The Cary is full bodied, powerful bass, dynamic, large soundstage, sweetly burnished highs. A player that is easy to listen too but not to the point of being too warm and dark.

Hi Reb 1208,
I am interested in your comments and am looking for a new CD player. I hate warm and dark and not extended in the treble.
Could you recommend a few players from your experience that are the opposite of warm and dark i.e. open, clear, fast and extended?
Thanks,
I'd appreciate it!
Bill

I heard the Lector Tube player at the show last year and that certainly had extended highs. So did the modified Sony- don't know which one it was. But I thought the bass was tubby on the Lector. The Meridian GO-8 to my ears sounded more extended on top than the Cary. But that I thought sounded mechanical. Probably the Krell SACD Standard is what you should take a listen to. Wide open bandwith top and bottom with low levels of coloration.

wound up getting the cary couldn't be happer the tube output is a bit soft but that is tubes and it does make voices more natural. Glad I can choose between the two.

I went to a delear to audition 3 cd players: The Musical Fidelity A5, Ayre CX7e and the Cary 303/300. I was listenining thru the Vandersteen5A and Cary momo block amps. We first started with the MF and it was very close compared to the tubed output of the Cary. The Cary seemed to be fuller with a bit more meat on the bone. So now we wanted to compare the Cary with the Ayre (the player that I really was looking to buy). Alas the Ayre quit working almost immediately.I then recalled that Sue Kroft went thru three Ayres before she finished her review. The dealer told me that one of his customers had to send his Ayre he had sold a few weeks ago for repair. The dealers Ayre preamp (or amp, I cannot recall) were also back for repairs. I also met Dennis Had the president of Cary and after a brief discussion bought the Cary. Two days in my system the Cary quit. Dennis was extremley helpful and shipped me a replacement the next day. Great guy.Now for the sound of the Cary. First and foremost, switching from the tubed output to the solid state increases the output which always leads to some perception of greater highs.In this case it appears that the player does, compared to the tube output,accentuate the highs and makes it feel that there is more detail.Also the lead vocalist moves a little forward in the sound stage The tube output deepens the stage with a mellow sound. I prefer the solid state output, which makes me wonder why I paid more for the tube output, My system has a SAS Audio 10A (great tube pre amp), Quick Silver V4 Mono Blocks, Quad 988 speakers. A very revealing system. I am going to keep the Cary for the time being, although I am not sure.