On static display: three products from Cary that just started shipping earlier this year.
Both the DMS-600 ($6995) and the DMS-550 Network Audio Players utilize AKM DAC chips, which appear to be less widely used in the industry than Sabre chips; Cary's Bill Wright told me that Cary always preferred the Burr-Browns until that company was bought by AKM.
The 550 uses the AKM 4497 chip, while the more expensive DAC exploits the AKM 4497eq, which supports 32-bit / 768kHz PCM and DSD up to 512. Both accept both wired (RJ45 Ethernet) and wireless connections, and both are Roon and MQA certified. Both Players also add AptX-HD bluetooth, which delivers Bluetooth audio up to 24- bit / 48kHz. I don't know the format well, but my early experience suggests it's at least close to CD quality. With AptX-HD winning support from high-end brands like Cary and Mark Levinson, it may be time to rethink Bluetooth.
Also on display was the new SLI-100 integrated amplifier ($5995), which uses four KT-150 output tubes (two per channel) from Tung-Sol to produce a specified 100 W/channel. Compared to the older SLI-80, the SLI-100 gains power but loses some flexibility: The older amplifier allows audiophiles who are so-inclined to roll the supplied Electro-Harmonix KT-88s. For those who care, Cary products are American-made; even the transformers are wound in a rust-belt factory. The tubes are imported though, since, apart from a handful of boutique tubes, none are made in the United States.
Two of the three new components are on active display in the Fyne Audio room at a nearby hotel. If I make it over there, I'll report on the sound of the new Carys.
The 550 uses the AKM 4497 chip, while the more expensive DAC exploits the AKM 4497eq, which supports 32-bit / 768kHz PCM and DSD up to 512. Both accept both wired (RJ45 Ethernet) and wireless connections, and both are Roon and MQA certified. Both Players also add AptX-HD bluetooth, which delivers Bluetooth audio up to 24- bit / 48kHz. I don't know the format well, but my early experience suggests it's at least close to CD quality. With AptX-HD winning support from high-end brands like Cary and Mark Levinson, it may be time to rethink Bluetooth.
Also on display was the new SLI-100 integrated amplifier ($5995), which uses four KT-150 output tubes (two per channel) from Tung-Sol to produce a specified 100 W/channel. Compared to the older SLI-80, the SLI-100 gains power but loses some flexibility: The older amplifier allows audiophiles who are so-inclined to roll the supplied Electro-Harmonix KT-88s. For those who care, Cary products are American-made; even the transformers are wound in a rust-belt factory. The tubes are imported though, since, apart from a handful of boutique tubes, none are made in the United States.
