2. digital
  3. 183041-138596

Cary CD 306 SACD player vs newer Marantz SA 10 CD/SACD player

I'm a current owner of an older Cary CD 306 SACD player (non professional version) and have been very happy with the sound quality of it. The CD 306 SACD is Cary's flagship CD/SACD player. This model along with its professional version both have received praises and spectacular reviews from both professional reviewers and users. And the build quality is superb and this player weighs about 45 pounds. The player has been working flawlessly aside from having to replace a new laser assembly last year which was done by Cary Audio itself which is very common with older CD/SACD players or transports. And I think the CD 306 SACD has been discontinued since 2015/2016.  

 

But I'm curious if the newer Marantz SA 10 CD/SACD player, which is also Marantz's flagship CD/SACD player, would sound better or the Cary CD 306 SACD would sound better than the SA 10. Seems like the Marantz SA 10 is most of the time is being offered at discounted price and it makes me want to pull the trigger on one. 

 

What do you guys think? Both the Cary and the Marantz players can used as a standalone DAC and have various digital audio inputs on the back. 

Advises, thoughts, suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

dilatante

Showing 1 response by immatthewj

immatthewj
2,776 posts
 

That's interesting.  I upgraded  to the SA10 a few years ago (I've lost track) in fron of a modded Cary SLP90 and a Cary V12.  A couple of years later (I've lost track of time on this also, which is a bad sign) I replaced the SLP 90 with a SLP05 with "the ultimate upgrade" and to my ears the sound is now a bit on the cool side and I could actually stand it to be a tad warmer.

As far as the SA10, I love it, but I have to remember that I had never heard SACDs before, and they sound great, and the digital front end I was using was 3 separate pieces from back in the '90s, so I am thinking that it was obsolete.

Is the Cary CD 306 SACD a tubed CDP?

More to discover