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Cary CD 306 SACD player vs newer Marantz SA 10 CD/SACD player

I'm a current owner of an older Cary CD 306 SACD player (non professional version) and have been very happy with the sound quality of it. The CD 306 SACD is Cary's flagship CD/SACD player. This model along with its professional version both have received praises and spectacular reviews from both professional reviewers and users. And the build quality is superb and this player weighs about 45 pounds. The player has been working flawlessly aside from having to replace a new laser assembly last year which was done by Cary Audio itself which is very common with older CD/SACD players or transports. And I think the CD 306 SACD has been discontinued since 2015/2016.  

 

But I'm curious if the newer Marantz SA 10 CD/SACD player, which is also Marantz's flagship CD/SACD player, would sound better or the Cary CD 306 SACD would sound better than the SA 10. Seems like the Marantz SA 10 is most of the time is being offered at discounted price and it makes me want to pull the trigger on one. 

 

What do you guys think? Both the Cary and the Marantz players can used as a standalone DAC and have various digital audio inputs on the back. 

Advises, thoughts, suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

dilatante
elliottbnewcombjr
5,106 posts
 

You certainly know what you have inside and out, and the maker still works on it, that's a bit of luck.

Despite the words of someone else, even someone you respect, I would get a Marantz I could return at home and compare them myself.

Post removed 
mahler123
3,028 posts
 

Marantz has had a House Sound that gets the mid range right but tends to roll the treble off  and be a bit I’ll defined in the bass.

dilatante OP
76 posts
 

Thank you all for responding. I’m currently using Cary power amp with Classe preamp that will soon to be replaced with the Cary SLP-05 vacuum tube preamp. So I’m not sure if the Marantz will have a good synergy with my other Cary components. But I will give it a shot and try to get the marantz SA 10 with a 30 day return policy so that I can return it if I found my current Cary CD 306 SACD player to be a better sounding or a better match with my other Cary components in my setup. I believe in system synergy.

The SA 10 currently retails for $7500 brand new after all this crazy inflation but its original retail was $7k before this crazy inflation, whereas my older Cary CD 306 SACD player (non professional version) did retail for $7k when it was still in production back in around 2006 to 2008. But then when the professional version of this CD 306 SACD player was introduced in 2008 to replace the non-professional version of this CD 306 SACD its retail price got bumped up to $8k, and the professional version of this player got discontinued in around 2015 or 2016.

The Marantz SA 10 is a much newer disc player and is a current model. I have been looking for the professional version of the Cary CD 306 SACD player but so far have no luck finding a used one in used markets. The professional version sounded better than the non-professional version like the one I have but is a marginal improvement and it isn’t like night and day difference according to reviewers and users who have heard both players and compared them side-by-side in the same setup.

 

Like I said, before, I have been very happy with the sound quality of my Cary CD 306 SACD player, it is a great sounding and highly musical sounding unit but it’s getting old so just in case if someday it stops working so I will have a back up and know which one to get to replace it but sonically the new one will have to better my current Cary CD 306 SACD player or at least performs on the same level as my current CD 306 SACD player sound quality wise.

jafant
18,792 posts
 

dilatante

 

Excellent follow up. I agree that the SA-10 would be a nice upgrade from the older Cary Audio 306 player. I look forward in reading more about your impressions and thoughts.

 

Happy Listening!

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