Excellent Condition - BEST PRICE ON THE INTERNET FOR THIS AMP in this condition - easily an 8/5/10!!!
- this award winning amp is probably the best known and best product Cary has produced, it is very musical. In addition to the outstanding sound, the amp and chrome are in excellent shape- very shiny with only very superficial scratches. This amp has been lightly used in one of my secondary systems, all tubes are strong and have only been used a few hundred hours. It is rare to find on in this condition. This is the auto bias version, the fourth version of this wonderful amp. This one is preferable and more collectible compared to the later versions with the painted chassis and it costs less. The painted chassis are less expensive and like anything else now in life- if you bought anything now in chrome- it is an upgrade over regular paint. This comes with a pair of 300B output tubes (I think they are older Sophia's) and old stock 6SN7 tubes. It does not get much better than this with medium to high efficiency speakers and you would have to pay exponentially more. Headphone amp is among the best ever made. Comes with copy of owners manual and will be double boxed and very well packed for its journey to you. Bidder to pay fedex insured shipping costs and if using paypal, please add 3% to total. USA shipping addresses only, no overseas shipping. Email me at apt_one@Yahoo.com, please no trade offers or lowballers.
Specifications
Description: Single-ended integrated amplifier. Inputs: three line-level inputs on RCA jacks. Tube complement: 6SN7 input and driver (x3), 300B triode output (x2). Power output: 11Wpc into 8 or 4 ohms (10.4 and 7.4dBW, respectively). Frequency response: 23Hz-20kHz +0, -0.75dB (at 11W output). S/N ratio: 90dB ref. rated power output. Headphone output: 4-50 ohm-compatible (¼" stereo jack).
Dimensions: 14" W by 14" D by 8" H. Weight: 42 lbs.
Finish: chrome chassis with black front panel (24k-gold front panel and knobs, $500 additional).
Serial number of unit reviewed: not noted.
Price: $3395 ($3995 in 2000; $5500 in 2009). Approximate number of dealers: 40.
Manufacturer: Cary Audio Design, Inc., 111A Woodwinds Industrial Court, Cary, NC 27511 (1995); Cary Audio Design, Inc., 1020 Goodworth Drive, Apex, NC 27539 (2009). Tel: (919) 355-0010. Fax: (919) 355-0013. Stereophile Review-
As strongly as I believe that the listening experience is the most reliable method of judging the quality of audio equipment, I've been biased against single-ended tube amplifiers because of their quirky measured performances. Without having heard single-ended under good conditions—much less living with an SE amplifier—I had concluded that many listeners must like them because they're euphonically colored by large amounts of low-order distortion and impedance interactions with the loudspeakers. SE amplifiers seem to be a departure from the goal of making the electronics transparent. Moreover, the range of loudspeakers suitable for SE amplifiers is so restrictive that I wondered why anyone would bother with these underpowered distortion-generators. I had fallen into a trap that I've repeatedly railed against: drawing conclusions without firsthand listening experience (footnote 1).
To find out more about the single-ended experience, I asked Cary Audio Designs for a sample of their least expensive single-ended amplifier, the $3395 CAD-300SEI integrated model. I was prompted to try single-ended triode amplification by the Infinity Composition F-PR loudspeakers on hand in my listening room (see the review elsewhere in this issue). The Composition has a high sensitivity (JA measured 95.5dB/2.83V/1m) and a powered woofer, making them appear an ideal load for the 11Wpc Cary 300SEI. After some critical listening evaluations—and many more hours of sheer musical magic—I've become convinced that single-ended tube amplifiers sound fabulous in spite of their distortion, not because of it. Description
The CAD-300SEI is essentially two of Cary's CAD-300SE monoblock power amplifiers ($3800/pair) combined in one chassis with a volume control and a class-A triode line stage. The compact (14" by 14") 300SEI is a visual work of art, with a chrome chassis, shapely 300B output triodes up front, and angled output transformers. The review sample had the optional ($500) 24k-gold faceplate and knobs, further heightening its beauty. Three line-level inputs are provided on high-quality RCA jacks, with input selection via a front-panel rotary knob (footnote 2). A large volume control, smaller balance adjustment, and power rocker switch finish off the front panel. The rear panel holds the RCA input jacks, Edison-Price Music Posts for loudspeaker connection, a line fuse, and an IEC AC-line jack. The front panel is also home to a ¼" headphone jack, which is activated by a small pushbutton on the top plate. This selects between the headphone output and the Music Post loudspeaker output terminals. When listening to the 300SEI through headphones, you're hearing the entire amplifier right off the output transformers—no op-amp circuits to drive the headphones here. Switching between loudspeakers and headphones is accomplished by a gold-plated 10A relay. A ¼" 'phone jack on the chassis top provides access to the bias measurement point; simply insert a 'phone plug and measure the current flow with a DC ammeter. A trim pot next to the jack adjusts the bias. Not everyone has a two-conductor ¼" 'phone plug lying around; Cary should supply one with wires already attached. The power supply is a full-wave center-tapped configuration filtered with a pi-L network. The rectifiers are bolted to the chassis top plate, which makes the entire amplifier warm to the touch when it's running. Two 1200µF and one 100µF electrolytic filter capacitors bypassed with polystyrene caps provide 230 joules of energy storage. Plate voltage on the 300B output tube is 430V. A "soft start" circuit powers the 300B output tubes' filaments first, then the high-voltage plate supply 60 seconds later. Warm-up time is said to be only three minutes. The input/line amplifier stage consists of a single 6SN6 dual-triode tube, with one half of the tube used for the left channel and the other half for the right channel. This class-A voltage-gain circuit is the same as that used in the Cary SLP-90 preamplifier. This stage is followed by a pair of 6SN6 triodes (one per channel) in a constant-current, plate-loaded configuration, each of which drives a 300B triode output tube. No feedback—local or global—is used in the 300SEI. That's right, this isn't a low-feedback design—the 300SEI has zero feedback. The 300B output tube is a classic triode design, with only three elements: the cathode, grid, and plate. Unlike nearly all other tubes in which a separate filament heats the cathode, the 300B's filament and cathode are one and the same, which gives the 300B the "direct-heated" designation. Seeing just four pins on the 300B made me realize just how simple a direct-heated triode is (footnote 3). The pair of 300Bs and three 6SN6 tubes are mounted in silver-contact sockets. The output transformers, which are custom-designed for the 300SEI, are an E/I-laminate type wound with oxygen-free copper wire and feature an air gap to reduce the tendency of the transformer to behave as a big electromagnet. This is a danger with single-ended amplifiers because the bias current flows in only one direction through the primary winding. The two output transformers account for most of the amplifier's 42-lb weight. Indeed, the transformers look like they were designed to handle 100W each, not the 300SEI's 11W. All the components inside the 300SEI are connected with silver-conductor, Teflon-coated wire instead of printed circuit boards. Looking inside the 300SEI gave me the impression that building this amplifier is labor-intensive. Resistors are 1% metal-film types throughout, and the bypass caps are Kimber film and foil. The volume and balance controls are made by Noble. The output coupling caps are custom-made, oil-filled types specially designed for the 300SE and 300SEI.
The 300SEI's build quality, parts pedigree, finish, and overall look are exemplary. System
In addition to driving the Infinity Compositions with the 300SEI, I tried the Cary on the ribbon midrange and tweeter sections of the reference Genesis II.5 loudspeakers. The II.5s have an 800W amplifier to power the four servo-driven 12" woofers, relieving the 300SEI of driving a large cone. The Genesis has, however, a demanding load impedance (3 ohms minimum, 4 ohms through most of the band) and only moderate sensitivity. Although the 300SEI was clearly underpowered for the Genesis, I listened to small-scale music at low levels to get a feel for the 300SEI's sound with this familiar reference. I also drove a pair of KLH 6" two-way minimonitors of unknown sensitivity (late 1970s vintage, before KLH completed their descent into mass-market mediocrity) with the 300SEI to see how the Cary would behave driving a full-range system. The digital front-end was a Mark Levinson No.31 transport feeding a Spectral SDR-2000 Pro processor through a Kimber/Illuminati coaxial digital interconnect. LPs were played on a highly modified Well Tempered Turntable and WTA, with an AudioQuest AQ7000nsx cartridge. A Vendetta SCP-2B phono stage provided gain and RIAA equalization. Interconnects included Monster Sigma, Magnan Type V, AudioQuest Lapis, and Diamond x3. Loudspeaker cables were AudioQuest Dragon II. Listening
I was pleasantly surprised by how loudly the 300SEI played with the Genesis II.5s. The levels were obviously limited, but not to the extent I expected from 11W. The presentation lacked dynamics, however, and sounded a little closed-in through the top octave compared with the Audio Research VT150s. It was unmistakable, however, that the 300SEI communicated the music in a way I'd never experienced before. There were an immediacy and a palpability to the sound that were breathtaking. I don't mean a sonic immediacy, such as a forward character, but a musical immediacy that riveted my attention on the music. On the superb new classical-guitar duo Baroque Inventions (Dorian DOR-90209), for example, I had the distinct impression of sitting in front of the two guitarists in the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. The 300SEI benefited from the low playback level called for by the instrumentation, producing a realistic level with this small-scale music. Switching to the 96dB-sensitive Infinity Composition P-FRs (which also have a powered woofer) really let the 300SEI open up. The amplifier's limited dynamics and the top-octave air missing with the Genesis were largely restored when the Cary was driving the Compositions. I could also get a totally satisfying listening volume from the 11W amp—with room to spare. In fact, the 300SEI cruised comfortably on most music when driving this easy load. The 300SEI's ability to involve me in the music was heightened by the Compositions' high sensitivity. The 300SEI's sound was ultrasmooth and liquid, but not in a colored, euphonic way. Instead, I felt as though I was hearing only the music, and not the music overlaid with electronic hash. The sound was totally devoid of grain, brittle textures, edge, and stridency. My wife put it best when she said, "The sound doesn't abrade you"—an interesting choice of words for a non-audiophile. The midrange and treble cleanliness, smoothness, and astonishing liquidity gave saxophone a warm, round, burnished sound that lacked any trace of grain or glare. Vocal sibilance was less objectionable, with less of a hashy, intrusive character. This liquidity and lack of electronic artifact produced a relaxation and intimacy with the music that made me want to play records and CDs long into the night. In fact, I spent night after night totally immersed in the musical experience provided by the 300SEI and the Compositions. Although the presentation was silky smooth, I don't want to give you the impression that the 300SEI sounded syrupy, rolled-off, or overly romantic at the expensive of resolution and accurate timbre. The 300SEI was good at resolving detail, which is partly why this amplifier was so involving. But the detail wasn't thrust on me, instead sounding subtle in a way that invited me into the music. The detail was there but was understated and refined. Instrumental timbre sounded astonishingly real—a quality most apparent on violin. When you hear violins in a concert hall, they're never shrill, screechy, or strident. So it was with the 300SEI, which reproduced solo and massed violins with a warmth and beauty unmatched by any electronics I've had in my system. Similarly, the 300SEI's rendering of the human voice was glorious. The amplifier restored the human quality to vocals, making them more lifelike, present, palpable, and expressive. Listen to Doug MacLeod's Come to Find (AudioQuest AQ-CD1027) through the 300SEI to hear this presence and directness of expression I'm describing. The 300SEI's portrayal of the harmonic structure of instruments and voices just sounded more like the real thing, with less of the mechanical, synthetic sound we've assumed has been inherent in music reproduction. The 300SEI's tonal balance wasn't perfect, however. The top octave lacked air and extension, making the presentation slightly closed-in. This characteristic tended to make the soundstage less expansive in both width and depth and imparted a smaller sound to the recorded acoustic. With small-scale music, the effect wasn't a drawback; but on full-scale orchestral or choral works, the presentation lacked the halo of bloom at the soundstage's outer edges I get from the VT150s. Rather than presenting a huge acoustic the way the VT150s do, the 300SEI's more intimate portrayal of space lent itself better to smaller works. Acoustic jazz was particularly well-served by the 300SEI's sonic perspective, as well as by the amplifier's ability to communicate the musicians' intent with more emotional impact.
I had an unusual perception when listening to jazz through the 300SEI: I gained a heightened awareness of the musicians' phrasing. Instead of hearing a collection of notes, I could feel the melodic and rhythmic nuances that contributed so much to the musicians' expression. In fact, if I had to describe the 300SEI with one word, it would be "expressive." This amplifier provided a more direct path of communication between the musicians and me. It's difficult to describe, but once you've heard it, the experience is unforgettable. Because both the Genesis II.5s and Compositions have powered woofers, their bass presentations weren't dependent on the 300SEI's ability to deliver current to a woofer. Consequently, the presentation with either loudspeaker had terrific bass, which went well with the ultra-liquid mids and treble. Driving the full-range KLH minimonitors with the 300SEI revealed that the Cary amplifier's bass sounded a little woolly and somewhat lacking in tautness and definition. The overall sound was, however, better than I've heard from these speakers. Compared to what I consider the reference in power amplifiers, the Audio Research VT150s ($12,000/pair), the 300SEI had a softer treble, with less HF definition. The mids were slightly more laid-back and "darker" with the Cary—although, paradoxically, the 300SEI put more musical focus on the midrange. Dynamics were easily better from the VT150s, the more powerful monoblocks having more transient impact, wider micro- and macrodynamics, and the ability to go loud gracefully. The 300SEI had tighter image focus, with a smaller, more intimate soundstage. Conversely, the VT150s better presented a sense of a concert hall's size, with a greater feeling of the acoustic surrounding the images. The 300SEI had, however, a palpability and directness of expression I didn't get from the VT150s. Note that the VT150s are far more practical: they'll drive virtually any load and are not restricted to high-sensitivity loudspeakers, as is the 300SEI. Conclusion
For years I've cavalierly dismissed single-ended tube amplifiers on the basis of their poor measured performance, but the Cary CAD-300SEI integrated amplifier has opened my eyes to the glory of single-ended amplification. The 300SEI was a musical revelation, providing a totally involving and musically euphoric experience night after night. The 300SEI excelled in the most important areas: harmonic rightness, total lack of grain, astonishing transparency, lifelike soundstaging, and a palpability that made the instruments and voices seem to exist in the listening room. Beyond these specific attributes, the 300SEI communicated the musical message in a way that went straight to the heart. This performance was, however, highly dependent on the loudspeaker the 300SEI was asked to drive. I was fortunate to hear the 300SEI driving the ultrasensitive Infinity Composition P-FR with its powered woofer. The Infinity was perfectly suited to the 300SEI and let this little amplifier shine. I can't emphasize strongly enough the need to pair the 300SEI with the right loudspeaker—of which there are very few. If you select an inappropriate loudspeaker, expect a mushy bass, rolled-off treble, closed-in soundstage, compressed dynamics, and low listening levels. Even using the Infinity, however, I still had a few criticisms of the 300SEI. The amplifier's top octave was a little depressed, reducing the sense of air around the soundstage. The dynamics were adequate, but limited in relation to more powerful push-pull tube amplifiers and solid-state units. When driving the full-range KLH minimonitors, the 300SEI's bass was a little woolly. The 300SEI had horrendous measured performance, with high distortion, deviations from flat response when driving real-world loudspeakers (footnote 4) and limited current delivery. But damn the measurements! The 300SEI was so musically satisfying that I don't care what the numbers say. My head tells me the 300SEI can't be any good; my ears and heart say this is the most involving and communicative amplifier I've heard—and a tremendous bargain at $3395. You can count me among those converted to single-ended amplification. If you audition the Cary CAD-300SEI with the right loudspeaker, you too may be added to the growing legion. Copy of owners manual is at this link: http://www.caryaudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/CAD-300SEI_v4.pdf\\
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