Cary"s A 306 Class D amplifier is big and heavy enough to be mistaken for a conventional linear amplifier. With an 18-inch-wide chassis and a weight of 50 pounds, the A 306 isn't the prototypical switching amplifier that you can hold in the palm of your hand. Cary went to great lengths in the A 306 to create a massive supply. Indeed, the A 306 is rated at a whopping 600Wpc into 8 ohms and 1100W into 4 ohms. A linear amplifier of this power would weigh several times the A 306's 50 pounds. I have the greatest respect and admiration for Cary's SET amplifiers, their linear solid-state designs (the Cinema Series is outstanding), and the company's terrific CD 306 D/SACD player. Unfortunately, that design expertise didn't translate into the Class D world, at least as realized in the A 306.

Note: The TAS 166 review is a part of Special Report on Class D amps.