Cary CAD 280sa v12R

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!

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.