Cary CAD 280sa v12R

They are great amplifiers and any tubed product form Cary is made in North Carolina.

Good Listening

Peter

Great amplifier, one of my long-time favorites, made in the U.S.

Was the apple of my eye at one point but things just didn't turn out that way. Amps with 12 output tubes remind of 12 cylinder engines in a way and Cary encouraged the thinking.

Great amp, used happily for many years.

I had a V12R for a couple of years. Great amp, but they run very hot. If you can swing it get a CAD 120s. I love mine. It runs much cooler and the bass sounds better.

I'm listening to mine right now. Very happy with it. Three dimensional, really good extension top and bottom, although not the last word in bass slam. I listen to mostly acoustic music and for that it sounds great. Among the most powerful 50 watt amps I've ever heard. I never bother with ultralinear mode. Never needed it. It does run really hot, but then I suspect that anything with sixteen tubes in it would. It's all point to point wired inside - no circuit boards - and very stoutly constructed in North Carolina. Cary service is a little pricy, but they're quick and I dare you to try to get Mr. Sony on the phone. Cap upgrades are worthwhile. Cheers!

Thanks guys
Anythings to look for or ask about before buying?
What cap upgrade and cost?

You might want to consider the AES Six Packs which are made by Cary and are the precursor to the V12 series of amps. I believe they are available from Upscale Audio in the US. Nice set of mono blocks. FWIW I owned the V12i and while I like the old Cary classic tube amps this one really didn't cut it for me.

Well, Cary charges $400 for the cap upgrade, plus a $100 bench fee PLUS it costs about $100 to ship it EACH WAY to North Carolina. They're using large Cardas caps which can be had from a number of sources - I believe - for about $30 each. I had mine in for some other service and had it done then. You'd be better served buying the caps and having a local tech do it. Of course I didn't know any of that until after I'd had the work done. booger

Cheers.

thanks
Mechans'what do you mean Cary encouraged the thinking?

I have two of these amplifiers driving alon v mkII speakers. use the stereo pair in a bi amp configuration. very happy with them. Use gold lion kt88 tubes