Cary 306/200 CD Player vs VPI Scout

Thanx all. I don't really mind the maintenance at all. Actually, I like the hands on relationship I have with my equipment. Also, I'm not intentially limiting my self to only one source permanently, just indefinitely - dicated by my financial resources. This fork in the road has come up since I will have about $2k burning a hole in my pocket soon.

Let me try to rephrase my question another way. I'll bet a turntable system and a CD system both costing $10,000 will both sound incredible an most people would take either one. On the other end of the spectrum, I'll also bet that a $75 CD player would sound markedly better than a $75 turntable system. At what price point will the two start to be comparable in sound?

It is an apples to oranges comparison. The VPI is a bargain at it's price and will give you quality vinyl sound which should rise above and CD, SACD close to it's price range if you like the organic sound of vinyl.

Sorry about the repost. I just wanted to say the K1000 headphones are the best investment I've made on that end. They are so amazing I'm actually thinking of buying another pair because they are discontinued. There is nothing out there like it for headphones. I have them and the VPI and the Cary 308T (which is not as resolving as the 306/200 but has a soft tube sound that I prefer). And the K1000 goes very well with vinyl.

Not to get off topic but I have the Cary 306/100 and was wondering how much of a difference there is between that and the 306/200?

Hi Pawlowski6132,

Undoubtably, the VPI with the right cartridge, phono, and good records will sound much better than than the Cary. Of course you will need to do all the maintainence, and a vacuum record cleaner is a necessity. The CD vs vinyl debate is futile, but most experienced audiophiles do agree that all in all, vinyl is the superior medium in terms of communicating the essense and emotion in music.

With that being said, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't buy either of those. I would buy something like a Jolida JD100 as well as a Rega p3/P25 or something. In other words, I'd much rather have a very good CDP AND a very good TT instead of only an excellent CDP or only an excellent TT. That way you can take the time to come up to your own conclusions on the superiority of vinyl, grow your music collection in both formats, and derive the most enjoyment because you won't be locked in to one format or the other.