2. digital
  3. 1162585817

Cary 306sacd vs. Esoteric SA60 vs. Ayre C-5xe

I have changed my system around since getting the Thiel speakers. I have got a new pre, phonostage and upgraded my turntable. Now its on to digital. I'm wonering what opinions people have that have heard these players. I'm assuming the sacd and redbook of the Esoteric would be the same as on the DV50 or DV60. I'm using an Ayre K-1xe pre and JC-1 monoblock amps into Thiel CS7.2 speakers. I've heard the Ayre and it was very nice. But the review in TAS of the Cary, and online talk has made me very intersted in it also. I also use the Ayre phonostage with my table, and have plans to someday own the new Ayre monoblocks. Any other opinions in the $6K range new or used with my system? Thanks for any thoughts you folks might have.
tom_hankins

Showing 1 response by amfibius

amfibius
282 posts
 
Just be aware that the Cary tends to be a little bit louder than most other CD players. When I first heard the Cary compared to the other CDP's, I thought that the difference was pretty incredible. Then I noticed that it was a little bit louder. We got the SPL meter out and played some test tones, and sure enough, it was 2dB louder.

When we level matched the players the difference was still obvious but less so. Don't get me wrong, the Cary is a very very good product (I own one) but do not let the slightly higher output of the Cary get in the way of your decision.
More to discover