Dear Bawlpipe,
No offense is intended at any step of this narrative, so please take it in the spirit it is intended.
I will go in reverse order of Cary products as I believe I have a good feel on the Cary gear vs. Ah! Tjoeb. The Tjoeb is a tremendous value, even at their new price. The Tjoeb is not quite as resolving as the Cary CD308(to me, although I wouldn't argue with someone who sees it the other way) solid state version. The tube version of the CD308 is better still, the CD303-200 is quite a nice player offering bullet proof construction and balanced outs. The 303-200 is solid state and, unless you require the balanced outs, I like the 308 tube model a tad better. The 303-300 has balanced outs, a solid state and tube output stage and is a huge step up from the old 303-200. Really nice player. The 306-200 is a special redbook only player offering solid state, balanced outs and a d-a convertor that allows you 3 digital inputs to accomodate say....a dvd player....a cable box.....your Ipod etc. The 306SACD has all the descriptive features of the 306-200.....but the improvements are stunning. INCREDIBLE Redbook playback!! The fact that it reads SACD is a bonus in my mind and not a reason alone to buy this unit. I have about 30 SACDS and, while the SACD layer sounds wonderful, I have to listen very carefully to hear the difference. The redbook is that good!! Best I've ever heard including Wadia, Esoteric, modded Denon.
To answer your original question, "Is it worth it to upgrade?".....it depends on your budget and what you want to accomplish. I believe I would upggrade to at least the 303-200 if buying used. The 303-300 seems to be a good buy used at $2300+or-.....Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio is a dealer for ALL of the players we are discussing here and he will be very helpful to discuss the absolute sonics of each. He is also really cool in that he will work out a good deal on either new or pre-owned equipment, he takes trades on quality equipment and will give you an upgrade path.
Good luck and your mileage may vary.
No offense is intended at any step of this narrative, so please take it in the spirit it is intended.
I will go in reverse order of Cary products as I believe I have a good feel on the Cary gear vs. Ah! Tjoeb. The Tjoeb is a tremendous value, even at their new price. The Tjoeb is not quite as resolving as the Cary CD308(to me, although I wouldn't argue with someone who sees it the other way) solid state version. The tube version of the CD308 is better still, the CD303-200 is quite a nice player offering bullet proof construction and balanced outs. The 303-200 is solid state and, unless you require the balanced outs, I like the 308 tube model a tad better. The 303-300 has balanced outs, a solid state and tube output stage and is a huge step up from the old 303-200. Really nice player. The 306-200 is a special redbook only player offering solid state, balanced outs and a d-a convertor that allows you 3 digital inputs to accomodate say....a dvd player....a cable box.....your Ipod etc. The 306SACD has all the descriptive features of the 306-200.....but the improvements are stunning. INCREDIBLE Redbook playback!! The fact that it reads SACD is a bonus in my mind and not a reason alone to buy this unit. I have about 30 SACDS and, while the SACD layer sounds wonderful, I have to listen very carefully to hear the difference. The redbook is that good!! Best I've ever heard including Wadia, Esoteric, modded Denon.
To answer your original question, "Is it worth it to upgrade?".....it depends on your budget and what you want to accomplish. I believe I would upggrade to at least the 303-200 if buying used. The 303-300 seems to be a good buy used at $2300+or-.....Kevin Deal at Upscale Audio is a dealer for ALL of the players we are discussing here and he will be very helpful to discuss the absolute sonics of each. He is also really cool in that he will work out a good deal on either new or pre-owned equipment, he takes trades on quality equipment and will give you an upgrade path.
Good luck and your mileage may vary.