This is a diverse group. In my apartment system, I have been fighting the Sony SCD-777ES and Meridian 508-24 for years. Both have been sent back to whence they came for repairs of the lens/tracking systems. Yet, both repeatedly fall back into their old habits -- "No Disc," says the Sony, when presented with SACD platters, and "zzzzzztttttttssqqqkkkkkk -- game over," sputters the Meridian, when fed ANY CD it doesn't feel like eating at the moment.
So, enough finally became enough last week. I was going to buy an Ayre model 7 SACD/CD player, on the strength of what I heard a couple of times at shows and on the strength of Wes Phillips' strong review. But, when I called Brooks-Berdan, nobody returned my call. That just hacks me off, when some snooty "SALON" plays hard to get.
So I dug out a few back issues of Stereophile to see if there weren't other possibilities. John's review of the Cary 306 "Professional" caught my eye, particularly when he said he couldn't hear any difference between this $8,000 machine and its predecessor, the CD 306 SACD Transport Processor, $7,500 when it first came out, but now relegated to the dustbin of history.
So I called Kevin Deal in Upland, looking for, well, a deal. Now KEVIN always returns calls and he is NOT snooty. $3899 for a new-in-box 306, with full dealer and manufacturer's warranty. "Will it play all discs," I asked, CD's and SACD's alike"? "Can't ever guarantee all on anything," says Kevin, "but if it doesn't we'll work it out."
So I bought it. I got it the next day, via UPS. In one piece. Miraculous! The guy who carried up to my apartment had 2 arms, 2 legs, and even spoke English!
In addition to John's (as usual) thorough review, Fremer's recommendation in the March issue, when comparing it to the Marantz, and Art's recommendation of a similar unit in the October 2005 issue gave me the confidence to buy sight unheard.
Thanks, guys. You just saved me $4,000, basis the "professional," and $2,000 basis the Ayre.
The unit sound superb, just as JA, Mikey, and (by association) Art said it would. I don't often buy sight unheard. But my men at stereophile occasionally give me the confidence to go for the quick, relatively cheap deal, when it comes up. This is why I love the magazine. The veteran reviewers are precise, they give honest opinions, and they listen carefully (for a few months, not a few days). And they are all music lovers who know what a live band sounds like.
Thanks again, guys. Now I know why you make the big bucks.
This is a diverse group. In my apartment system, I have been fighting the Sony SCD-777ES and Meridian 508-24 for years. Both have been sent back to whence they came for repairs of the lens/tracking systems. Yet, both repeatedly fall back into their old habits -- "No Disc," says the Sony, when presented with SACD platters, and "zzzzzztttttttssqqqkkkkkk -- game over," sputters the Meridian, when fed ANY CD it doesn't feel like eating at the moment.
So, enough finally became enough last week. I was going to buy an Ayre model 7 SACD/CD player, on the strength of what I heard a couple of times at shows and on the strength of Wes Phillips' strong review. But, when I called Brooks-Berdan, nobody returned my call. That just hacks me off, when some snooty "SALON" plays hard to get.
So I dug out a few back issues of Stereophile to see if there weren't other possibilities. John's review of the Cary 306 "Professional" caught my eye, particularly when he said he couldn't hear any difference between this $8,000 machine and its predecessor, the CD 306 SACD Transport Processor, $7,500 when it first came out, but now relegated to the dustbin of history.
So I called Kevin Deal in Upland, looking for, well, a deal. Now KEVIN always returns calls and he is NOT snooty. $3899 for a new-in-box 306, with full dealer and manufacturer's warranty. "Will it play all discs," I asked, CD's and SACD's alike"? "Can't ever guarantee all on anything," says Kevin, "but if it doesn't we'll work it out."
So I bought it. I got it the next day, via UPS. In one piece. Miraculous! The guy who carried up to my apartment had 2 arms, 2 legs, and even spoke English!
In addition to John's (as usual) thorough review, Fremer's recommendation in the March issue, when comparing it to the Marantz, and Art's recommendation of a similar unit in the October 2005 issue gave me the confidence to buy sight unheard.
Thanks, guys. You just saved me $4,000, basis the "professional," and $2,000 basis the Ayre.
The unit sound superb, just as JA, Mikey, and (by association) Art said it would. I don't often buy sight unheard. But my men at stereophile occasionally give me the confidence to go for the quick, relatively cheap deal, when it comes up. This is why I love the magazine. The veteran reviewers are precise, they give honest opinions, and they listen carefully (for a few months, not a few days). And they are all music lovers who know what a live band sounds like.
Thanks again, guys. Now I know why you make the big bucks.