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Amp recommendation: Cary SS vs. McCormack vs. Ayre

I am building a system with a limited budget. I have some Sehring 703 speakers (86db sensitivity at 8 ohms) and a Manley Shrimp preamp on the way. I have limited space in my A/V cabinet, so do not have room for a tube amp. But I am looking for something that when paired with the Manley Shrimp will have a tube-like sound.

My budget is max $1,600. These are the three amps I am considering.

1. McCormack 125 -- the 500 gets good reviews, so this probably sounds pretty good as well (right?)
2. Ayre V3 -- also gets good reviews. Only concern is that it has been out of production for a long time and if it breaks it won't be serviceable.
3. Cary A-2 -- Cary has a very good reputation for their tube amps, but I can't find much on their "lower-end" solid state 2-channel amps.

Any thoughts/recommendations would be much appreciated.
mcondon
ferrari
617 posts
 
Very nice speakers indeed, not many audiophiles have them. But I dare say to drive those properly your budget of $1,600.00 is a bit optomistic. In my opinion to do justice to those speakers I would be looking at a Pass Labs X 250.5 at the very least, or an amp in that range. Just a thought.
mcondon OP
223 posts
 
Thanks for the feedback/recommendations. I will look into the Parasound amp as well.

It is strange that there are so few reviews and online comments of the "lower-end" Cary solid state amps. Maybe that is all I need to know about them (?).
ferrari
617 posts
 
Many of the Cary lower end amps are Class D amps (digital)I would investigate further.
petek
33 posts
 
I had a DNA-125 driving my Harbeth M30s (85 db sensitivity, 8 ohms). It drove them with ease and to great effect. Importantly, the amp ran cool even during summer conditions.

I ended up upgrading to a DNA-1 Revision A, which sounded fuller and slightly warmer. For a little more money, you should audition the DNA-225 or a DNA-1 Rev A.

In all the above cases, the MAP-1 was my pre-amp.

good luck!
semi
646 posts
 
I own a CAD-200, basically a stereo version of CAD-500MB which was favorably reviewed by 10 Audio.

http://www.10audio.com/cary_500mb.htm

there is no "best" amp out there, all are good and Cary is better than McCormack or Ayre in some areas. it's not a class D, it has very nice tone and texture like an old fashion class A/B. for the money, they can't be beat considering they are most likely newer than most Ayre or McCormack you are consider and Cary also has the convenience of both RCA & XLR inputs.
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