Which is the better player Cary 306/200 or 303/300

I had both and I would say they sound about the same, but I would go for a 303/300 for more than likely you wont have any problems.
The older 306 had some issues. Do some research here on Audiogon to find out more about them. The latest 306 Pro series is trouble free though.

I own the Cary 306/200 and have never had a problem other than recently with some of the buttons on the remote control not working. It is I believe one of the best cd players ever made. It never ceases to amazes me with the quality of the sound it produces. I have never heard the 303/300 but I am sure it is also a very good player.

Disclaimer: I am currently selling mine to purchase a Modwright Transporter.

I owned a 306/200. I did an all out assault bought 5 CD players and a/b/c/d/e/f'd them all. the clear winner was the Ayre C5xe which has since been greatly improved with the mp upgrade. Eventually though I ended up with a Modwright modified Transporter as well and have never looked back. However if you're sticking with a new CD player I think you'd be making a mistake not to consider the updated Ayre.

Wow mike,you must have a lot of disposable income.You lucky dog!!!

Not really. I bought them all used, and then I resold them. Most I broke even on. On one I was able to sell it for $400 more than I paid for it. To me it was an investment in finding out information you just can't get any other way, and as long as I stayed w/ used gear, it didn't really cost me anything.

Mike, did u try the Cary 306 Pro SACD?

I'm not sure. It was a few years ago now. It was a 306/200 and as I remember it did have SACD capabilities although that was not part of my audition. Some players did have SACD capability (including the Ayre) and some did not. The other manufacturers I compared were Levinson, NuForce, and Wadia.

Mmike84,

If the Cary you auditioned "a few years ago" had SACD capabilities, it was not the 306/200. You must have had the CD 306 SACD, the predecessor to the current SACD Pro.

Regarding the difference between 303/300 and 306/200, I have heard both several times and just sold my 306/200 for the CD 306 SACD. I have heard the 303/300 in a setup very similar to mine (same speakers, tube pre). I don't think there is any significant difference between the two sonically. Something to consider is that the 306/200 has digital inputs so that it can be used as a DAC, while the 303/300 does not.

You must be correct.

I also wanted to state that I don't mean to trash Cary at all. All of the players I auditioned were very good. I have a lot of respect for Cary and they make excellent products. I just found CD players that I thought were better.

Wonder how these two compare to the 306 SACD Pro. Any body done an A\B?