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Our Multichannel Amp of the Year honor goes to Cary Audio for the outstanding Cinema 5. A high-end company that seems equally at home with tube or solid-state designs, Cary has recently expanded its line of home-theater gear, and are we glad they did! The (solid-state) Cinema 5 delivers a healthy 200Wpc into 8 ohms and 350Wpc into 4 ohms. But there are plenty of amps out there that can match the Cary’s power rating. What few of them even come close to match- ing is this model’s superb sound—and believe us when we tell you that the few that do (or that can better it) cost a whole lot more. The Cinema 5’s trademarks are its immediacy and transparency, and an overall balance that sounds “right” with both music and film. Expect to hear a warm easy pres- entation, rich harmonic structure, silky extended highs, and a powerful, controlled, and visceral bottom end. And its natural, beautifully articulated midrange makes dialogue both clear and easy to understand. Most importantly, the Cinema 5 sounds alive in a way that removes the sense that you’re listening through a box of electronics. Whether you’re a fan of art house films, high-octane action flicks, music, or all three, the Cary’s combination of delicacy and power is sure to please. (Reviewed by Wayne Garcia in Issue 50) Cary Cinema 5 $3995 www.caryaudio.com

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Page 1: Cary Cinema 5 - clearsoundaudio1.comclearsoundaudio1.com/assets/Cinema5.pdf · Cary Cinema 5:$5000 P erhaps best known for its single-ended-triode tube amps, Cary Audio has been broadening

Our Multichannel Amp of the Yearhonor goes to Cary Audio for theoutstanding Cinema 5. A high-endcompany that seems equally at homewith tube or solid-state designs, Cary

has recently expanded its line of home-theater gear, and arewe glad they did! The (solid-state) Cinema 5 delivers ahealthy 200Wpc into 8 ohms and 350Wpc into 4 ohms. Butthere are plenty of amps out there that can match the Cary’spower rating. What few of them even come close to match-ing is this model’s superb sound—and believe us when wetell you that the few that do (or that can better it) cost awhole lot more.

The Cinema 5’s trademarks are its immediacy andtransparency, and an overall balance that sounds “right”with both music and film. Expect to hear a warm easy pres-entation, rich harmonic structure, silky extended highs, anda powerful, controlled, and visceral bottom end. And itsnatural, beautifully articulated midrange makes dialogueboth clear and easy to understand. Most importantly, theCinema 5 sounds alive in a way that removes the sense thatyou’re listening through a box of electronics.

Whether you’re a fan of art house films, high-octaneaction flicks, music, or all three, the Cary’s combination ofdelicacy and power is sure to please. (Reviewed by WayneGarcia in Issue 50)

Plasmas haven’t yet arrived interms of being truly high-end solu-tions for dedicated home theaters.But (and this is a big ole “but”) they

are the coolest things around, and all of us secretly wantone or five of these things in our houses,hanging on walls and ceilings, in bedroomsand bathrooms.

All plasmas involve compromises of onekind or another, and the Toshiba 50HP82’s isabsolute black level (like a lot of otherdesigns). Where the Toshiba gets over is thatit’s as sharp as a tack (1366x768 resolution).Plus, Toshiba has done an outstanding jobwith the video processing and driving elec-tronics that are crucial to obtaining theutmost performance from fixed-pixel dis-plays. This plasma is refreshingly free of false-contouring artifacts at or near black, and itscolor palette is saturated but accurate, with

none of the fluorescent greens that plague some designs. In this, the too-coolest-of-the-cool product categories,

the Toshiba 50HP82 is incredibly bright and punchy, withall the image quality plasma has to offer! (Reviewed byRandy Tomlinson in Issue 46)

Toshiba 50HP82Price: $10,999 www.toshiba.com

Cary Cinema 5 $3995 www.caryaudio.com

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THUMBS UPMassive output power

Low priceCan drive any loudspeaker system

THUMBS DOWNNot the last word in transparency

Adcom GFA-7805: $2400

A dcom shook up the high-endaudio world back in 1979 withits GFA-1 two-channel power

amplifier. Seven years later, the compa-ny’s GFA-555 offered so much per-formance for the price that Adcomquickly came to dominate the marketfor high-powered, great-soundingbudget amplifiers. I was an audio con-sumer back then (I became a full-timeaudio reviewer in 1989), and, afterauditioning a GFA-555 on a trial basisat home, bought one.

Fast forward to 2003, and Adcomis still in the business of delivering high-power and solid build quality in a no-frills chassis—and at affordable prices.Take the GFA-7805 5-channel amplifi-er I’ve been listening to in my system.For $2400 you get a monstrous300Wpc, balanced and unbalancedinputs, and gold-plated input jacks andloudspeaker binding posts. Note thatthis 300Wpc rating is with all channelsdriven, and over the entire audio band-width. What’s more, the GFA-7805increases its power to 450Wpc into 4ohms. The amplifier also featuresAdcom’s Fast Analog Transform (FAT)

circuitry (with bandwidth of 100kHz)that the company claims deliversimproved transient response.

Other models in the line includethe GFA-7807 (identical to the 7805,but with seven channels), and theGFA-7605 with five channels of 125Wamplification for just $1000.

Listening to the GFA-7805 drivingthe highly revealing Wilson WATT/Puppy 7 loudspeaker system, I foundthe amplifier had a neutral tonal bal-ance, with a smoother (but somewhatless airy) treble than I’ve heard fromprevious Adcom amps. Bass extensionwas deep and powerful, and the mid-bass tended to be full, warm, and a bitwooly. The overall perspective wassomewhat forward, with the amplifierprojecting the soundstage out in frontof the speakers. This gave the presenta-tion a bold visceral quality that waswell suited to action movies.

There’s no mistaking this amplifi-er’s massive output power; the soundhad seemingly unlimited dynamics,and the sonic presentation didn’tchange as things got loud and com-plex. The GFA-7805 handled the mostdemanding soundtracks (Lord of theRings, for example) with aplomb.

For those who like to listen at THXreference levels (or louder), use low-sensitivity loudspeakers, have a largeroom, or a combination of all three,the GFA-7805 will drive any loud-speaker system to very high output lev-els cleanly. This is a lot of amplifier,and an amazing bargain at $2400. It’shard to think of a better value in anultra-high-power amplifier. —RH

Cary Cinema 5: $5000

P erhaps best known for its single-ended-triode tube amps, CaryAudio has been broadening its

range to include CD players, speakers,and most recently home-theater com-ponents. The latter include the Cinema6 DVD player, two A/V controllers (theCinema 6 and Cinema 8), and a fleet oftwo-, three-, five-, and seven-channel

solid-state amplifiers.I can’t speak about the

rest of the line, but if thoseproducts are as good as thefive-channel Cinema 5, thenCary is onto somethingsweet in multichannel sound.Here is an amp that gets theblood flowing. Straight fromthe box it connects us rightto the heart of both musicand film sources. In myexperience, only a smallhandful of (more pricey)home-theater gear does that,and the only amp I’ve heardthat betters the Cary, thoughmore in degree than style, is

September/October 2003 ❘ www.theperfectvision.com

SURVEY ❘ Robert Har ley, Wayne Garc ia , Shane Buet tner

Multichannel Power Amps from Adcom, Cary, and Ayre

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The Perfect Vision ❘ September/October 2003

a two-hundred pound, $10,000, no-holds-barred effort—Balanced AudioTechnology’s magnificent VK-6200.

Like the BAT, the Cary is excep-tionally transparent and direct-sound-ing. There’s no sense of listeningthrough something—that the amp iseither adding or subtracting informa-tion (though of course no electronicsare absolutely transparent), or thatyou have to fight through haze, grain,or other electronic gunk to get into theperformance. Without sounding“fast,” though technically I’m sure itmust be, the Cinema 5 sounds incredi-bly direct, and more importantly, itsounds “right.” It has wonderful air, aconvincing (but not exaggerated)depth of soundstage, spot-on imageplacement (but not of the hard, laser-beam variety), fine top-to-bottom-tonal balance (its overall character iswarm but not “dark”), complex har-monics, rich instrumental textures, asmooth, extended top-end, and bassthat seems to go right through thefloor and into the earth.

So far I’ve mated the Cary withPrimare’s SP31.7 controller (reviewedin this issue) and the “SuperTube” pre-amp stage of BAT’s VK-300x integrat-ed amp, with equally satisfying results.And when it comes to surround sound,the Cary uses all of the attributesdescribed above to pull us into what-ever on-screen world our DVD playerconjures up. Dialogue articulation iswonderfully clean as well asnuanced—small shifts of tone, phras-ing, and dynamic emphasis are that

much easier to hear—and the overallsound has a thrilling, all-encompass-ing tangibility. And if action moviesare your thing, the Cary’s combinationof power and dynamic pop will raisegoosebumps. Though not inexpensive,it’s an outstanding value. —WG

Ayre V-6x: $9250

O h, how this mini-review takes meback. Ayre Acoustics’ V-6 multi-channel power amplifier was

one of the first products I reviewedafter coming on board The PerfectVision back in Issue 41. I was stoked toreview the V-6 for two reasons. One,like the rest of the TPV staffers, I’m amusic lover, and we always get excitedwhen a true high-end audio companyattempts to raise the home-theater per-formance bar. Two, my reference ThetaDreadnaught amplifier’s basic designwas created by none other than Ayre’sCharles Hansen. Only trouble was,compared to the Dreadnaught I foundthe V-6 lacking slightly in front-to-back depth and light in the lowest bass,which put a spotlight on the midrange.In other words, for all its strengths the

V-6 had a signature tonality itimposed on the music.

While Ayre’s CharlesHansen wasn’t thrilled aboutmy opinion of his amplifier, heaccepted my review as a chal-lenge and created the V-6x, afollow-up amplifier withimproved performance in allareas. I was very impressedwhen he contacted me andwanted me to review the newmodel. Not many manufactur-ers in the industry would be soquick to send the updated prod-uct to its predecessor’s critic Ican assure you!

I’m going to refer you backto my original review in TPV 41 for amore thorough discussion of the V-6’stechnical attributes, most of which areshared with the V-6x. The most out-standing aspects of the V-6 and V-6xare: They’re fully balanced amplifiers(from input to output); they use noglobal negative feedback; and theyhave a modular design that can beconfigured with two to six channels.Both amps also incorporate Ayre’sproprietary “Ayre Conditioner”power filtering and conditioning.

According to Ayre the most sub-stantial changes in the V-6x are in thevoltage regulation for the input cir-cuits—a new zero-feedback hybriddesign that incorporates JFETs at theinput and bipolars at the output. Thenew model costs $3000 for the basechassis and $1250 per channel, butowners of the V-6 can have their unitsupgraded to the V-6x for the cost differ-ence, which is $50 for the chassis plus$250 per installed channel. My reviewsample was loaded with five channels.

As for its sound, the V-6x is a quitesimply a homerun for Ayre. It sacri-fices none of the things I loved aboutthe V-6 and improves substantially onits few weaknesses. The low bass isthere, and it’s clean, tight, tuneful, andarticulate. It doesn’t have the iron low-end control of a Levinson 33H or aLinn Klimax, but neither do thoseamps exhibit the purity and musicalityof the zero-feedback Ayre. It’s as force-ful in the bass as the ThetaDreadnaughts that I use, and cleaner,

THUMBS UPExceptional musical performance

Thrilling theater reproductionCompetes sonically with models at twice

the price

THUMBS DOWNNone

AMP SURVEY

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September/October 2003 ❘ www.theperfectvision.com

although not quite as weighty as theDreadnaught II. However, it’s goodenough that tonal coloration is nolonger an issue of any kind. The bal-

ance is right on, and the increased low-end response adds some front-to-backdimensionality.

The Ayre V-6x is startlingly quietwith the blackest background you’llhear—a noise floor so low that it’sunequaled in my experience. Thisallows for greater swings in dynamiccontrast and more snap with transients.With music this can make a pianosound more like what it is—a percussiveinstrument in which hammers whackthe strings to make sound. Movie tracksdon’t just play loud; they play with abroader and more realistic range ofimpact. The explosions and transientmusic cues that punctuate a film’s actionare just that much more involving.

The other attribute that separatesthe V-6x is its staggering amount ofinner detail. The V-6x consistentlyreveals the lowest-level informationwith layers of clarity and focus. Onmusic I was particularly mesmerized

by the way the bodies and cavities ofguitars were rendered along with thestring sounds. As the player’s handbrushes up and down the neck or ifhe/she bumps the body of the instru-ment, you’ll hear it with this amp. Andimaging is simply superb, placingmusicians and sound effects in a con-vincing three-dimensional space, noteven remotely confined to the speakerboundaries. The V-6x is still not quiteas open and airy on top as my ThetaDreadnaught, but my Dreadnaught isnot (quite) as revealing through themidrange. The Dreadnaught has a lit-tle more gas for home-theater thrill

rides, but the V-6x still hasthe quietest, blackest back-ground I’ve heard from anamplifier. Theta’s Dread-naught II has more powerand bass authority thaneither the originalDreadnaught or the V-6x,but isn’t as musically satis-fying to me.

The Ayre V-6x is anamplifier I can (and do)recommend without reser-vation. It’s equally at homewith music and movies,and more that that, it’s arevelation to the music nutwho wants to build a refer-ence-quality cinema systemaround a reference-quality

music rig. The Ayre V-6x simply letsyou have it all. —SB

AMP SURVEY

ADCOM

8541 East Anderson Drive

Scottsdale, Arizona 85255

(480) 607-2277

www.adcom.com

Price: $2400

CARY AUDIO DESIGN

1020 Goodworth Drive

Apex, North Carolina 27539

(919) 355-0010

www.caryaudio.com

Price: $5000

AYRE ACOUSTICS, INC.

2300-B Central Ave.

Boulder, Colorado 80301

(303) 442-7300

www.ayre.com

Price: $3000 for chassis plus $1250 per

installed channel

MANUFACTURER INFORMATION

SPECIFICATIONS

Adcom GFA-7805Number of channels: Five

Power output: 300Wpc into 8 ohms; 450Wpc into 4

ohms (all channels driven)

Dimensions: 17" x 8.75" x 19.75

Weight: 95 lbs.

Cary Cinema 5Number of channels: Five

Power output: 200Wpc into 8 ohms, 350Wpc into 4

ohms

Dimensions: 17.7" x 6.25" x 19.5"

Weight: 80 lbs.

Ayre V-6xNumber of channels: Modular (up to six)

Power output: 150W into 8 ohms; 300W into 4 ohms

Dimensions: 18" x 19" x 7"

Weight: 110 lbs. (as tested with 5 channels)

THUMBS UPTerrific music and theater sound

Gorgeous build qualityModular design allows custom channel

configuration

THUMBS DOWNExpensive

The V-6x is a quitesimply a homerun for Ayre.