Having owned both Cary and C-J gear (in fact, after tomorrow I'll be running with a Cary pre and C-J amp), my assessment is that the sounds are cut from swatches of the same sonic cloth. It may come down to characteristics of your speakers (SLI delivers 80 wpc vs 40 for the C-J) and user oriented features. For example the Cary comes with a remote, the C-J does not. Nonetheless, from a value perspective, the CAV-50 was probably one of the best in terms of high end tube electronics. I never understood why C-J discontinued it.
Cary SLI 80 or Conrad Johnson CAV 50?
I am debating on a Cary SLI 80 or Conrad Johnson CAV 50. Please give me your ups and downs on each one. Or just your experience would help. I have Legacy Protege speakers. Thanks. -Durr