Amp recommendation: Cary SS vs. McCormack vs. Ayre


I am building a system with a limited budget. I have some Sehring 703 speakers (86db sensitivity at 8 ohms) and a Manley Shrimp preamp on the way. I have limited space in my A/V cabinet, so do not have room for a tube amp. But I am looking for something that when paired with the Manley Shrimp will have a tube-like sound.

My budget is max $1,600. These are the three amps I am considering.

1. McCormack 125 -- the 500 gets good reviews, so this probably sounds pretty good as well (right?)
2. Ayre V3 -- also gets good reviews. Only concern is that it has been out of production for a long time and if it breaks it won't be serviceable.
3. Cary A-2 -- Cary has a very good reputation for their tube amps, but I can't find much on their "lower-end" solid state 2-channel amps.

Any thoughts/recommendations would be much appreciated.
mcondon

Showing 2 responses by steidlguitars

Wireless200, are you sure about Cary not making Class D amps? I thought that the amps in the "Concept Series" were Class D, and the website backs that up.

Is Cary dropping that line?
Wireless, thanks for getting back. Being clueless about an entire line within your company seems funny to me! Given the market growth of class D amps, I can't imagine Cary dumping that line. We shall see.