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Cary CD 301, 303 or Other? Best Uprade?

B&W N804 System Upgrade - Cary CD? B&W N804 Speakers, Bryston 3B-ST Amp, Velodyne Subs, B&K AC3/DTS Surround Sound Processor, Sony DVD/CD player, Adcom 5 disc carosel, N Center, B&W Bipolar Rears, Synergistic interconnect, along with Kimber. I recently connected my N804s to a 300W Classe, and a 250W Bryson, used a Classe pre, and the Cary CD 301. Both amps created a fantastic sound stage reproducing a real life experience (just like a jazz club). By far the best listening experience ever, no price dependencies and systems compared to in great stores. Noticed that the Cary CD sound gave a great soundstage and separation. However, it may be giving up a little too much in detail and does not have HDCD. I'm looking for recommendations on going with any of the following upgrades: (1st choice) Cary CD 301 or 303 (2nd) Bryston 3BST to bi-amp the N804s (3rd) 250+W Bryston or another great amp (4th) Sony 9000ES DVD/SACD player (5th) Better pre/surround sound processor I think my CD is in dtrastic need of an overhaul, and I want to get the best sound out of my system. (60% Audio, 40% Movies)
ftbuckeye
4 responses Add your response
upscaleaudio's avatar
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upscaleaudio
258 posts
 
The CD303 is a great buy at the price. We've sold a LOT of them, and they are something to behold. In fact I use one in my office. The CD306 is the best digital I have ever heard, beating the dcs Elgar and Accuphase which cost 2-3 times as much.

But it's more bucks. The 303 can be had for very reasonable money (relative). It's built, and has more "pop" than the earlier CD301.

A test that is interesting? Turn the music way down with the 303 or 306 and compare them to others. The difference in contrast between loud and soft in quite interesting.
ikarusg
1 posts
 
I've auditioned the Cary 303 and the 306. The 303 is very impressive and musical but the 306 is an emotional high in comparison. The Meridian DVD/CD unit was disappointing for its CD performance. However, I recently heard the Meridian 588 (the CD replacement for the 508.24). It is a wonderful unit with great detail, clarity of bass and brilliant highs (although I was somewhat unhappy with the sound of classical piano--sounded somewhat harsh to me). The Cary retails at 5K while the Meridian 588 is about 4K.
rackon
301 posts
 
The Cary 303 is a ss player with much better detail than the standard (tubed) 301, which retains the 301's midrange warmth but adds bass/slam. A change of tubes and some tweaking can improve the sound/detail of the Cary 301 - see reviews at Audioreview. The Meridian DVD/CD unit is likely to be pricey, but if it sounds like the 508.24, it will be one fine player.
dekay's avatar
dekay
5,349 posts
 
Someone had mentioned that Meridian is coming out with an all in one DVD/CD player that will replace the 508.24. If this is true then it sounds like a good piece for your system.
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