Price Paid:  $2000.00 from audiogon

Summary:
Can't wait to start tube rolling with this beauty. Came with Sovtek 300B's and chinese (no brand) 6SN7's. As is, it sounds great. I have 3 NOS 1950's RCA 6SNGTB's on the way and will try some other 300B's later. It's driving a pair of 1978 Klipsch Cornwall's loud enough to part my hair. At softer volume the sound is great. My reference cd track is "Voodoo" from the Sonny Clark Memorial Quartet. Compared to the other amps I've tried it is fantastic. You can hear the bass player's thumb hit the string before you hear the note. The drum sounds are so clear I can hear very subtle differences in every drumbeat. While I'm sure there is better sound available, I'll bet it would cost thousands more. I think my next move may be towards vinyl...

- Cary CAD 300SEI
- 1978 Klipsch Cornwalls - completely gone through - Cardas Posts, new internal wire, new tweeter diaphragms, woofers reconed
- Arcam MCD
- DIY "Jon Risch" design speaker cable
- DIY silver interconnects
- (2)DIY 1" Granite slab bases with Sorbothane sheets under each (for amp & cdp)
- BDR Cones - cdp
- Vibrapods - amp
- Lovan rack

Strengths:
tons of power, crystal clear, huge soundstage

Weaknesses:
expensive tubes, puny power cord

Similar Products Used:
Decware SE83c, Audio Research Classic 60

Price Paid:  $3800.00

Summary:
I owned the CAD 300SEI for one month. It was fitted with Western Electric 300B's and Raytheon (1950's) 6SN7WGT driver tubes. It was driving a pair of Avantgarde Duos. In my opinion, most of positive and negative comments in the previous reviews are pretty accurate. The CAD 300SEI has a glorious midrange and with certain types of music is very musical. It also soundstages and images wonderfully. However, the CAD 300SEI is sluggish and slower than molasses. The highs are extremely rolled off. The bass is plump and does not reach way down. The unit sounds terrible playing rock, slowing it down to a snail's pace. It sound terrible playing music that requires drive. Female vocals, acoustic, and jazz were the only types of music that sounded decent with this product. Needless to say, the CAD 300SEI was not my cup of tea and was returned. The CAD 300SEI was given the best conditions (great tubes & efficient speakers)and sounded bad in my system. I can only imagine had bad it sounds with lesser tubes driving less efficient speakers.

Strengths:
Midrange

Weaknesses:
Slow, highs are rolled off, noisy

Similar Products Used:
BAT VK-60SE, Audiomat Solfege, Jeff Rowland Concentra

Summary:
For all of you doubters who read the Stereophile as the gospel, you need to try this amp in the right conditions with the right tubes for yourselves. Unfortunately, Strereophile is a stock reviewer mag, kind of like Car and driver. In all fairness to the manufacturer, that is the way they should do it, maybe as a side bar, they could review a tweeked unit and compare the two.

The stock unit: Sounded like Stereophile said, read the review. (It actually sounded like hell at the dealer with a bad combo)

With Electro-harmonix 300B's and Valvo NOS pre drivers and line stage driver, at the 4 ohm setting with Sonus Faber Concerto's (6 ohm nominal, 3 min, 10 max and only 88db)s it was the goods. This setup had none, I repeat , none of the short falls of the stock unit. Dynamics, real bass extension, power, authority and of course, all the musicality, liquidity and transparency you can take. Sounded like twice the size and control of my 100 wpc pure class A Solid state amp. This amp is big trouble, do not listen to one setup corerectly unless you have some room on the checkbook. It also comes with the Cary customer service, reliability and company backing, which are first rate by all measures!!! Cudos to Dennis and all the guys at Cary for choosing the path not taken!

Strengths:
With the right tube combo, everything

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
You name it

Summary:
There is something about the 300sei. It reproduces music with a sort of glow, light-filled, dimensionality. Really excels on female vocals, acoustic music, but sounds nice on other types of music too.

Some peole below kind of trashed the 300sei. It seems to elicit strong opinions either way. The only thing I can think of is bad system matching or tubes. I've heard the 300sei sound pretty bad and pretty glorious.

Anyone considering this amp should have >90db efficient speakers with friendly impedence curve. You may be tempted to use less efficient speakers, but you may also wonder what you are missing.

It is very sensitive to speaker and component matching.

With my current setup, I think I've got it right enough that I won't be messing around too much for a little while. Makes music by my standards.

Amp/preamp: Cary 300sei (8 watt version) w/ JJ Tesla 300b, Kenrad and unidentified mystery 6sn7 driver tubes. I've tried lots of 6sn7's and these seem to be best, the Kenrad for sure. I've heard the WE 300b, but can't justify the price right now.

CD: Sony dvp-s9000es CD/DVD/SACD player. SACD is great, get it! I'll post a review of this soon, but the 9000 is a great redbook player too, better than the venerable Cal Icon II.

Speakers: Soliloquy 5.3 A really good match for the Cary or 300b amps without getting into horns or lowthers. I'd say these are the minimum acceptable for efficiency. I've tried various Proacs with the 300sei, they work, but not the best. There's always the Cary 805, if you want more power.

Interconnects: Synergistic Alpha Sterling, Goertz micro purl copper, AR cheap stuff.
Speaker cable: DH Labs T-14 bi-wire, Synergistic Sig 2.
Power cable: Stealth HAC, FAC. Synergistic AC MC.

I think the 300sei was one of Stereophile's Class A recommended componenets for a while. Maybe there's some hype, but it's an honestly good amp. Might be a bit on the expensive side. The build quality is there though; nice copper binding posts, shiny chrome, tiffany rca's, nice thick machined face plate. Good resale value too.

Someone complained about it being heavy. This boggles me, that weight gets you better transformers. You don't want a light weight tube amp.

Lastly, if you listen to headphones the 300sei makes a really good headphone amp. That sweetens the deal a bit on an already nice package.

Ratings are adjusted for audioreview inflation.

Strengths:
Seductive midrange, delicate highs, dimensionality.

Weaknesses:
Needs a sensitive speaker. Less dynamic and bass definition than a good SS amp, you gotta give up somethin

Similar Products Used:
Golden Tube, Musical Fidelity, Audio Research, Sonic Frontiers, Conrad Johnson, Jolida

Summary:
THIS IS NOT AN AMPLIFIER FOR EVERYBODY BUT IF YOU LOVE JAZZ,CHAMBER MUSIC OR BLUES AND MATCHED W/A SPEAKER W/HIGH SENSITIVITY AND REASONABLE IMPEDANCE OR YET W/ AMPLIFIED SUBWOOFER LIKE INFINITY COMPOSITION PRELUDE SPEAKERS THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY W/ THE BASS THIS AMPLIFIER IS CAPABLE OF BRINGING YOU AUDIO NIRVANA IN YOUR LISTENING ROOM

Strengths:
MIDRANGE MAGIC

Weaknesses:
EXPENSIVE TUBE REPLACEMENT

Similar Products Used:
PASS ALEPH,PATHOS TWIN TOWER