Should I upgrade?


I'm currently using a Cary 303/100 cdp and thinking of a/b other cdp's in my system. Are the first generation Cary 303/100 cdp's still considered a good cdp? I'm curious because of the limited supply of dealers in my area and the ol' upgrade bug has attacked! My audition want list includes Cary 303/200 & 308t, Audio Aero Prima, Jolida, and possibly Audio Research. Any others I should consider? I'm looking for a well balanced sound, fuller 3d mids, good dynamics top to bottom, good prat, and a good soundstage in width and depth. My budget is favorably around $1500. and under 2k. The rest of my system consists of: Innersound esl amp, Rogue 99 pre with KR black glass ckr6sn7's, and Magnepan 1.6. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
128x128bradz
Thanks guys for the responses. I am indeed using BDR cones under all of my equipment currently and find that they really help. My Innersound esl amp is the middle version with the power switch on the front. I just talked to a gentleman with Innersound and he mentioned that mine is most likely the same internally as the current version with the exception of the power switch on the front. As soon as I posted the question last night, I saw that 89lotus also asked about a cdp upgrade while including the Audio Aero Prima on his short list. How do you think my Cary would compare to the Prima or would it be like comparing apples to oranges because the Cary is ss and the Prima is tubed? Did you happen to compare the Prima to a Cary ss cdp Warrenh? Again, thanks in advance for suggestions!
I have the Audio Aero Prima..I talk about it adnauseam, I know, but it's one hellava cdp. Read my review. I can turn you on to where to buy it at a killer price, backed, of course, with great service and tlc. peace, warren
I know from personal experience that the Rogue 99 is extremely sensitive to what is supporting it. Putting it on BDR #4 cones really tightened the bass for me and helped the PRAT substantially. If you haven't already done so, I recomment trying this tweak first... I used the 99 in a system with the InnerSound Eros and ESL amp; the bass was total mush until I installed the BDR cones.

Also, if you're using an early version of the ESL amp, it had some problems with bass control. The problems had to do with the feedback configuration (or lack of it) and was fixed in the version 2. I believe that early versions can be updated by InnerSound.