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300b amps bettering the midrange of the Cary 300b

I'm shortly going to be getting a Cary 300b amp and will try to buy a few other 300b amps later to compare them and eventual settle down with one.

I previously owned the Cary CAD-300bse monos and the midrange was spellbinding, very liquid and three dimensional (especially with the Western Electrics). The bass and highs were okay but with my set up I can compensate. This was a first generation model which will be the same again using a just single 6sl7 driver (I don't know if the sound changed for better or worse in the various sig versions). I have tried some other 300b amps and the midrange was more hi-fi like.

Anyways just wondering if anyone who has had the Carys has found other 300b amps that have equaled it or bettered in providing that midrange magic (even though some may consider this sound as being colored).

frankk

Showing 5 responses by frankk

frankk OP
50 posts
 
Suggestions appreciated and will look into them.
frankk OP
50 posts
 
Also wondering if from those that responded if they have compared it to the Cary's.

I find the Cary's to be one of those love/hate products that if one searches will find many despise them saying rolled off highs and poor bass and some say that they are purely magical. My own experience after three years of trying around fifteen amplifiers is that the midrange of the 90's Cary (modified with better parts and using Westerns) was unsurpassed.

I see the Sophias have been suggested by a few. I did not realize it was such a popularly sold amp. The Wavelength Cardinal suggestion hits home as it is amps that I have been thinking about for some time but seem to to sell very quickly here.

Anyways still wondering if the early 90's design Cary still stands up to the test of time and is a relative bargain for those like me seeking that magical midrange.

frankk OP
50 posts
 
Rodmann you seem to be very familiar with the Cary design and how it accomplishes what it does.

Speaking of transformers I was told that after the first generation they used off shore trannies that were of lesser quality than the originals. However I read others say they did make them bigger afterwards and that alleviated some of the bass issues. The person that I'm buying the amps from has owned the originals and later sigs and preferred the originals with the single 6sl7 driver.

I did try the Sylvania brown base 6sl7wgt and it gave the amp much more drive and bass than the Jan/Philips. I'll have to try some VT-229's.

By the way, I read a post back in December at Diyaudio that someone else who owns them said that the first filter capacitor after the 5u4 rectifier is an insane 1000uf. I don't have much of an electronics background so would you or anyone else know anything about this and if I should think about changing it out to a smaller value. Also getting the capacitor banks but not sure where in the design they fall and its relevance to this issue.
frankk OP
50 posts
 
Thanks for the insight.
frankk OP
50 posts
 
Does VAC make single 300b SET amps?
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