Cary CAD 280SA

[dirtbag]

I want to put together a system. I have nothing right and know very little. All I know is that I want tube equipment.
A local dealer has a used Cary CAD 280 SA amp. He is asking $2900 Cdn. for it.
I fell in love with it at first site. Should I buy it and then proceed to build my system around it? I think it would be a piece I could keep for a long time. Speakers will come and go with changing tastes but I could get another 280 and use them as monoblocks.

Is this a silly thing to do?

[Dusty Chalk]

Quite probably silly, but not guaranteed.

If you do this, you're ruling out any power hungry speakers. Which might be a good thing, but...I don't know. It's not what I would do.

It's probably alright if you don't get married to it. I know friends who have played around with their system for decades before getting it right, and they still mess around with it a bit. I'm still working around with mine.

If you're L-bent on having tubes in your system, the single best place to have them is in your preamp.

Oh, and: Cary is a great company.

[dirtbag]

Power hungry speakers wont be a problem. I have always wanted to try some Klipsch, or there seem to be enough speakers to choose from that I'm sure I can find something right.
New high end tube stuff is out of my budget and the only other option is some of the chinese equipment and I am leary of it.
Once I get a system together I doubt if I will be changing it much ( thats what I say now )

Thanks

[jt1stcav]

One of my brothers borrowed a friend's '03 Cary Audio SLI-80 integrated and his CD 306/200 disc player, just to see if he liked the valve sound as compared to his huge SS Aragon 2004 dual mono power amp he owned at the time. Tried it with a pair of old Infinity Reference Standard 6 Kappa monitors, Klipsch Cornwalls, and Triangle Zephyr towers. Was very impressed with its sonics...sweet highs, lush and warm mids, and solid bass (not mushy in the least)! He later made the switch to tubes and sold the Aragon.