Cary 300SEI - any first-hand experience?

[CRJCapt]

I was hoping to start a thread asking about speakers for the 300sei. Won't le me post yet. Pretty excited about this 300sei. Lots of thoughts.

[Islander]

I have not heard any single-ended solid-state amps, although I think there are such amps out there. (Didn't Nelson Pass produce a single-ended solid-state amp?) I have heard push-pull tube amps that sounded good, but they did not provide the direct connection to the music that I get with my single-ended tube amps. To me, the single-ended circuit topology sounds better than anything else I've heard (by far). It also makes the most sense -- even if it does limit your speaker choices -- because it doesn't split the signal in half, amplify the halves, and put the amplified half-signals back together again at the end. Single-ended tube amps manage to satisfy both my Dionysian and my Apollonian tendencies . . .

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by CRJCapt

Sorry to go off topic, but can anyone tell me how I get posting privliges? Just bought a 300sei and had some questions.

Chris

Chris... There is a 10 post minimum before you can start a thread.

[Islander]

Chris, check out Zu Audio's website -- zuaudio.com.

[CRJCapt]

You know, I thought it was something like that.

[CRJCapt]

I met the Zu guys at the California Audio Show. Great people! The best! Had cold beer in there room. By far the best room at the show!

The Zu guys are at the forefront of where audio is headed.

So much silly stuff in audio, but the Zu guys are the real deal.

Chris

[CRJCapt]

What's really cool is that my kids heard the Cary for the first time and noticed right away how good it was. My nineteen year old has a great ear from listening to my CJ/McIntosh/Apogee setup for so long.

[CRJCapt]

I told my wife it's going to be our bedroom system..................wink wink

[Islander]

My wife never liked -- and would not listen to -- my solid-state Linn/JM Lab system, even though it was well-matched, top-shelf gear when I bought it. She found it totally uninvolving. On the other hand, she thinks my Cary/Zu system -- single-ended triode-tube amplification and high-efficiency loudspeakers -- is very cool and sounds great. I can now get my wife and even my kids to sit down with me and listen to music. I think audio designers, manufacturers and retailers made a major strategic error when they abandoned the SET circuit-topology and high-efficiency loudspeakers.

[Alberto]

Originally Posted by Islander

My wife never liked -- and would not listen to -- my solid-state Linn/JM Lab system, even though it was well-matched, top-shelf gear when I bought it. She found it totally uninvolving. On the other hand, she thinks my Cary/Zu system -- single-ended triode-tube amplification and high-efficiency loudspeakers -- is very cool and sounds great. I can now get my wife and even my kids to sit down with me and listen to music. I think audio designers, manufacturers and retailers made a major strategic error when they abandoned the SET circuit-topology and high-efficiency loudspeakers.

I am not so sure it was a mistake because not everybody likes the same sound. I fully share your (and your wife's) sonic/tone tastes (for which I use the term "delicious") but many people don't. Also, to be fair, with full-volume and harmonically complex material (e.g. Mahler's 2nd) SETs setups can fall a bit short - at least that has been my experience, especially with single driver high-eff speakers.

Strategic errors aside, I am fully with you and my experience parallels yours.

Alberto