Well, worst of is really what this is about

Goldmund Reference
The shifting Arm always changes Azimuth and with classical music it is not able to do any separation, good soundstage but dynamic mud. I asked after 15 min to stop

Magico Q5
Amplified with the very best Spectral combo (their Top Preamp with Mono amps), sounded dead, dead and dry. No "Gestalt", no holographic Picture, real music sounds definitely different

Raven turntables
Unstable speed, colored in reproduction, accelerates even Chamber Music to something which has nothing to do with the recording, a modern LP12

Garrard 501
2 words: Soundstage mud
Koetsus (Coralstone, Onyx, RSP, Urushi..)
Midrange pushers, no existing highs, weak lows, a compensation for sharp sounding Systems but overall a Denon 103R is more true in reproduction

Kuzma 4P
simply soft in dynamic reproduction, lush and nice sound but far away from any top Arm

Lyra Connaisseur Phono and Pre
2 words: Ear cancer
It was the Importers Demo and it sounded so sharp that my ears were bleeding. It was so sharp that I sat there for 1h because I simply could not believe it that something can be such a pain

Pass Phono (any)
Good for amplifying something which has nothing to do with good recorded music, dry and boring. And sonically really dead in the higher gain stages.

Clearaudio Turntables
Good looking cheaters. Good for nothing. Tooth pulling in combination with their carbon Arms...

Schroeder Arms
An Arm has to guide a cartridge, it is called Arm Geometry and that one has the do-whatever-you-want-Design. Arch Angle? For what? The cartridge guides the Arm and when the sonic result is not satisfactory, then the owner simply uses the wrong cartridge. Modern High End.

Nagra VPS Phono
At very best it is average from sonics, the SUT's are a joke, small like a coin but premium price for nothing inside. An empty box, but the logic is simple: What's not inside can't degrade sonic quality.

EMT Turntables
Tests in the 80's showed that they are wrong in the higher frequencies (nothing changed btw.) but EMT was never interested to change that because they were used for Radio Stations and they have had no highs anyway, same for Bass.

Nordost Odin Powercords
We replaced them in a listening session with normal stock Lamm Power cords (a few $) and no one missed the ODIN's. No idea for what they are good for.

SRA Stands
same. Nicely painted wood is hardly an engineered solution for vibration transfer

One must realize that syntax is good friends, maybe even a business partner, of a designer that has, let us say modestly, less than a stellar reputation...poor designs and simply a character failure to deliver paid-for products. Hence, the root cause of this bavarian's redundant poor comments regarding other German audio designers...especially those that have wonderful reputations along with well-received products.

The syntax may simply fall under the shadow of an inferior orientation...

Cheers!

I spent $2,000 for a line doubler back before HDTV - It didn't do much; I paid $1,000 for the 1st LG bluray/HD dvd player - didn't work until the upgraded software was released months later; I paid $4,000 for a Meridian 588 10 years ago and it did not sound much better than my $1,200 Rotel.

My Music Reference RM200 required service and I was loaned an Audio Research VS115 that my dealer was sure I would find an acceptable substitute. On the contrary, it reduced everything to a colorless and dull caricature of music. It altered timbre to the point where instruments appeared almost out of tune. Listening to music actually made me angry when it was in the system. Hated the damn thing and was delighted to return it.

I was also underwhelmed by the Hovland HP100 preamplifier, which was praised highly. It was pretty sounding most of the time, but failed to generate the dynamic projection that can make some recordings so compelling. The dealer was amazed that I returned it, but my then current preamp whomped its ass at a quarter the price.

Foster 9-

tell us more about the Cary 303/300 ?