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Ayre C 5xe Universal vs. Cary 306 SACD

Has anyone done a direct (as in same system), thorough comparison of these two players? If so, please let us know if you were able to compare their performance on both red book CD's and SACD’s and how it turned out. Some back ground about the setup, gear, music material, etc. would be helpful, too. Thanks.
kalan
tboooe's avatar
tboooe
1,009 posts
 
joey, with your ML Summits, I would go for the Cary. I would be concerend that the Ayre combined with the Summits would be too much of a good thing. The sound may be too clear and detailed to the point of sounding harsh. Let me know what you decide...
kalan OP
185 posts
 
Joey_v, I am also interested in your decision. Please keep us posted. There is no replacement to hearing both units, side-by-side, in your own system.
brm1's avatar
brm1
108 posts
 
I would agree 100% with Robal. My experiences were exactly the same as his. I really like the Cary 306, its much more enjoyable to listen to compared to the Ayre.
Mike
joey_v
644 posts
 
Still mulling over the possibilities here. Just got done auditioning a PS Audio Digital Link III DAC and the difference when going via digital out from the Squeezebox3 was very apparent. If this DAC is putting out this kind of music in my system, I can only imagine what the Cary 306SACD would do.

Joey
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