Attention Cary CD Owners

There should be a connection to the display.Disconnect it.It will sound better also.Someone with a service manual should be able to post with correct instructions to disable it.If you re sell it hook it up again.

Never noticed it. Seriously, I am so captivated by the sound, the light is just not on my radar. I have a 303.

Never noticed it, either. Why don't you close your eyes when listening? Seriously, you can cover the unit with some cloth (relatively thin), even when playing. My universal remote (Marantz 2000) can penetrate it with no problem. Never thought it was "laser", though.

How do the new Cary players compare with their older cd 300 player?

I'm getting used to the lights. The trick is not to stare into them. I think I was hypnotized by the sound of the unit especially after the new Acoustic Zen interconnects and power cord were installed. I really don't know how the new ones compare with the old ones. I do know that everyone that posts on AudioReview.Com that has a Cary loves it no matter the model. Id bet they have improved. The fit and finish of the unit is superb. It is heavy and quiet, quiet,quiet. I doubt I'll be selling it anytime in the near future as HDCD is getting more and more popular with the recording studios and the difference between 20 bit and 24 bit recording is remarkable. The 306 lists for 5k and I got one six months old for less than half of that. I don't think price is a major factor in determining what to buy but I do think I'd have to pay twice what I did to realize an audible difference. Another bonus is the little sticker that must be on the bottom somewhere that states: Made in the USA!!! Cary, NC to be exact. I've been there, absolutely beautiful town just outside Raleigh-Durham. Some of the best EE's in the world live there. In my humble opinion, it's about the music but, it's not all about the music.

Does Cary offer a upgrade of the 306 to the newer version?

They do offer an upgrade....it's past midnite here so my brain has run out of gas, but I recall it being $1000 or so. You get new innards. The new metal remote and tray, and faceplate do not change.

I contacted most of my customers and worked out a deal with them to let them exchange and pay a difference that I worked out with them. It made a number of people happy campers. I did not want them to be without during an upgrade, and when you DO an upgarde and sell it later, you have to explain it is an upgraded unit, etc etc and take a financial hit.

I felt it was better for customers

Acatnthehat... I just sold my 306 and will be getting a new 306/200 as replacement. The Cary players are excellent, highly detailed, yet musical machines. However, if you look on the back of the unit you will find a label that says assembled in Hong Kong. Surprised? Cary designed the unit, but at least some of them are put together elsewhere. I was a little surprised when I saw it too.
If anyone finds an asthetically acceptable way to tame those eye piercing lights, I wish to know also! You'd think that they would have heard about and therefore addressed that problem with a dimmer or something for the new model. Regardless, I think the Cary units are hard to beat in their price range!

I had a cd 300 player and most of the parts were commercial japanese and was definitely entry level. Have they gotten any better?

Every CD player will be Asian for the drive mechanism as a minimum. Philips or Sony. Usually Philips for the top players. Regardless of where the final assembly point is. All the top players will be the same in that respect.

What counts is what happens next. Some of the analog section in the Cary is U.S. made. They were able to carve a relationship with one of the world's premier digital engineering firms for the rest.

This had caused quite a stir at CES when another company that specializes in digital (and has been negatively effected by the success of the Cary digital line, including the multi channel) came into the Cary room and was quizzing the Cary principles on how they have made in happen.

The main digital board is so complex they went to the company that could make them in a precision automated manner...which is a computer company. And a major one.

Don't forget the digital section of the CD306/200 has EIGHT digital to analog converters in it.

I never really noticed the super bright blue LED's until now. BTW, they are LEDs and not LASERs or you wouldn't be reading this today. My Cary is still under warranty so I haven't popped the lid yet. You can probably double or triple the value of the series current limiting resistor to each LED to reduce the brightness. Parts cost would probably be a buck or so from Radio Shack.