Cary Audio Cinema 6 Preamp/Processor [Archive] - Audio & Video Forums

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musicguy04
08-05-2004, 06:08 PM
Has anyone heard/experienced this? If so, what did you think? How are the DACs for redbook CD performance and HT? How does it color the sound?

musicguy04
08-05-2004, 09:25 PM
Both the Cary Audio Cinema 6 and the B&K Reference 50 seem to have the price and features that I'm looking for.

I can't find any information on the different build qualities of the components, their analog output stages, or how their DACs compare (such as how they process music CDs). I'm sure HT will sound fine on both of them. I'm just interested to hear what people have to say about these two. I couldn't find any negative reviews on either of them.

I've read that rotels (and possibly arcam) purposely roll off their highs? That is very undesirable for my taste. I can't find much on the NAD T63, but I think the Cary and the B&K might be higher caliber products, although I'm just speculating.

The Anthem is a bit on the pricey side for me and I'll only go with it only if it kills everything else, especially in digital music playback.

lrstevens421
09-05-2004, 05:58 AM
I'm not sure if you've made your purchase yet but I do have some info on the Cary Cinema 6. I have owned this preamp/processor for 6 weeks now and I have to say that I am very pleased with it. It is a very musical processor. I upgraded from a Fosgate FAP-T1 (see my review), the fosgate seemed to be a little livelier when decoding movie soundtracks but I preffer the laid back sound of the Cary. The build quality of the Cary is firsty rate. It's very solid with a rich silver finish. I've also noticed that the cary doesn't have any vents, and it never gets hot, even after hours of loud music. I did read some reviews on the B&K Ref. 50 which was my second choice, I found the universal opinion to be that it lacked something on the 2ch stereo side, not saying that it was bad, but that it wasn't ideal for music. My cinema 6 is powered by a B&K Reference 2220, and a Adcom GFA-7400. These two amps sound great with this processor. The B&K handles by my 2ch needs and the Adcom powers my surround channels. As a CD player I am using the Pioneer elite DV-59AVI universal player, and for speakers I have a pair of Polk LSI-15 combined with the RM7600 speaker package. These components communicate with eachother very well. The cinema 6 is very easy to use and very clean sounding, i'm sure my speakers play a great deal in that process but nevertheless the Cary adds no coloration to the sound. For music I listen to alot of Pink Floyd, Jill Scott, & Prince (Don't Laugh), but for all of these different types of music the Cary handled itself like a pro. Now the annoying features; You cannot choose default inputs, no phono stage, and no auxiliary inputs. The only inputs are TV,DVD,CD,TUNER & VCR. The remote control is not very friendly with other universal remotes, it's very hard to copy the codes unless you have a very good uni remote, otherwise you'll have to use Cary's remote. All in all I think Cary skimmed on some features to provide a pre/pro with quality parts and audiophile sound quality at a reasonable price tag ($2500). The sound quality of this unit greatly outweighs any minor functionality preferences. If you are trying to combine high-end home theater and 2ch stereo it can be a long stressful journey, but the Cary can help ease your pain along the way without flatening your wallet.