To make a short story long, I have an AE3, but I bought it really as an experiment. I have a pair of Pro Ac Response 3.5's, and was trying to tame the high frequency in combination with a Plinius SA 100. The 3.5 is not typical of Pro Ac's, it's brighter and more analytically detailed than other Pro Ac's. I suspect that's why it was replaced by the 3.8's. I was going direct from my Meridian digital front end with volume contol.
I bought the unit from Audio Connections in Verona, NJ. I heard the Cary on a pair of the largest Vandy's (I forget the model) with a Cary V-12. The Vandy's have a bass volume control, and the salesman told me that he had to adjust the bass volume and change cables to match the Cary. He did a great job, and the Cary sounded absolutely fantastic.
Of course, my Pro Ac's don't have a bass volume control, so I shouldn't have been surprised that the bass from the Cary didn't match the Pro Ac's. The Pro Ac's have a VERY tight, dry, extended and controlled bass. With the Cary, the low and mid-bass came out significantly warmer, less defined, more bloated, and the mid-bass was actually LOUDER than going direct. It was a typical shortcoming of tube gear, in spades. It also had an audible amount of tube tunnelrush, but then again, I sit very near the Pro Ac's, and it wasn't an issue except when I listened closely with no music playing.
On the upside, from the upper bass on up, the Cary was incredible. It didn't do what I hoped it would (i.e., warm up the treble). Instead, it was extremely neutral, and gave up virtually nothing compared to going direct.
I've never heard any Bryston gear, but I suspect that NAD gear would be much too warm in the bass for the Cary. I heard the 805's once, briefly, and seem to recall that they have quite a lot of bass for their size, but I forget what the quality of the bass was like. Unless you're looking to give the mid-bass a boost in warmth and loudness, again, the Cary probably wouldn't be a good match.
Anyway, I finally ended up with a Bow Wazoo integrated. For my Pro Ac's, a match made in heaven!
Good luck,
Steve
