Cary Audio Design is a company founded in May 1989 which originally designed and manufactured vacuum tube audio amplifiers. Since the mid-1990s they have expanded into the

home theater Home cinema, also called home theaters or theater rooms, are home entertainment audio-visual systems that seek to reproduce a movie theater experience and mood using consumer electronics-grade video and home audio, audio equipment that is set ...

market, producing

DVD player A DVD player is a device that plays DVDs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. Some DVD players will also play audio CDs. DVD players are connected to a television to wa ...

s and

surround sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to sur ...

processors in addition to their original

vacuum tube A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric voltage, potential difference has been applied. The type kn ...

designs. The company is notable as one of the few U.S. manufacturers of vacuum tube amplifiers. Many of their high-end "Classic Series" designs have received favorable reviews in

audiophile An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction. An audiophile seeks to reproduce the sound of a piece of recorded music or a live musical performance, typically inside closed headphones, In-ear monitors, open ...

publications, including ''

The Absolute Sound ''The Absolute Sound'' (TAS) is an American audiophile magazine which reviews high-end audio equipment, along with recordings and comments on various music-related subjects. History ''The Absolute Sound'' was founded in 1973 by Harry Pearson, ...

'', ''

Stereophile ''Stereophile'' is a monthly American audiophile magazine which reviews high-end audio equipment, such as loudspeakers and amplifiers, and audio-related news. History Founded in 1962 by J. Gordon Holt. ''Stereophile'' is the highest-circulation ...

'' and '' Soundstage!''. Their CAD280 SE V12 stereo amplifier received a CES 2001 "Best of Show" designation from reviewer Jim Saxon. Originally based in (and named after)

Cary, North Carolina Cary is a town in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is part of the Raleigh–Cary, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2020 Census, its population was 174,721, making it the seventh largest muni ...

, Cary Audio Design's facilities are now located in the nearby town of

Apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex, ...

Amateur Radio Connection

Dennis "Denny" Had was also the founder of the Dentron Radio Company, Ameritron amplifiers, and Amp Supply Company. Dentron Radio Manufactured all sorts of

Amateur Radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communic ...

gear;

Amplifiers An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It may increase the power significantly, or its main effect may be to boost the v ...

, Tuners, and for a very short time High Frequency

Transceivers In radio communication, a transceiver is an electronic device which is a combination of a radio ''trans''mitter and a re''ceiver'', hence the name. It can both transmit and receive radio waves using an antenna, for communication purposes. Thes ...

. Amp Supply Company and Dentron are no longer in business. Ameritron is now owned by

MFJ Enterprises MFJ Enterprises, founded in 1972 by Martin F. Jue, is a manufacturer of a broad range of products for the amateur radio market. They specialize in station accessories, such as antenna tuners and antenna switching equipment. MFJ now manufactures ...

.http://www.ameritron.com/ Company website Dentron, Ameritron and Amp Supply Company were all based originally in Ohio. Amp Supply moved to

and soon morphed into the Cary Audio Company. Amp Supply was eventually closed. Amp Supply, Dentron and Ameritron Amps can all be found on

eBay eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...

to this very day. Amp Supply Products are not commonly found on E-bay, but Dentron and Ameritron are very common. Dennis Had is no longer associated with Cary Audio Design.

References

Interviews

The Single-Ended Amplifier: Cary's Dennis Had
in ''Stereophile'', September, 1995

External links

* {{authority control Audio equipment manufacturers of the United States Companies based in Cary, North Carolina