John Atkins misses the single biggest reason why the modern audiophile would consider the Cary SACD 306. As James Carvel says: “It’s the digital in stupid”. First of all let me just say that I love SACD. But I am having trouble getting much more than 40 SACD’s in my collection. If I was a bigger fan of classical music, that universe would broaden significantly but, as it is, I think it’s pretty obvious that SACD has a limited future in our hobby. In comparison, computer based sources whether a music server, personal computers, hd downloads, web radio stations, (etc, etc…) has an unlimited future. In a nutshell, the SACD is the desert and the digital in is the meat, potatoes AND the salad.
A comparison of the Cary SACD 306 to some of the better usb DACs from Wavelength, Empirical Audio, PS Audio, Benchmark , and Bel Canto would be very useful. The idea of having a world class CD, SACD, and computer DAC in one box is very appealing.
