Amp recommendation: Cary SS vs. McCormack vs. Ayre


I am building a system with a limited budget. I have some Sehring 703 speakers (86db sensitivity at 8 ohms) and a Manley Shrimp preamp on the way. I have limited space in my A/V cabinet, so do not have room for a tube amp. But I am looking for something that when paired with the Manley Shrimp will have a tube-like sound.

My budget is max $1,600. These are the three amps I am considering.

1. McCormack 125 -- the 500 gets good reviews, so this probably sounds pretty good as well (right?)
2. Ayre V3 -- also gets good reviews. Only concern is that it has been out of production for a long time and if it breaks it won't be serviceable.
3. Cary A-2 -- Cary has a very good reputation for their tube amps, but I can't find much on their "lower-end" solid state 2-channel amps.

Any thoughts/recommendations would be much appreciated.
mcondon

Showing 1 response by semi

I own a CAD-200, basically a stereo version of CAD-500MB which was favorably reviewed by 10 Audio.

http://www.10audio.com/cary_500mb.htm

there is no "best" amp out there, all are good and Cary is better than McCormack or Ayre in some areas. it's not a class D, it has very nice tone and texture like an old fashion class A/B. for the money, they can't be beat considering they are most likely newer than most Ayre or McCormack you are consider and Cary also has the convenience of both RCA & XLR inputs.