currently have a C45 on demo while waiting for my new cary cinema 11 pre/pro to arrive. was not able to compare back to back, but did hear them within a couple of hours (returned the 11 & picked up the C45). the C45 is analog only, & does not offer the ability to set cross over or speaker distance or level ( i think - have not really reviewed the manual). as my dvd player allows for set up of speaker size, distance & level this has not been an issue for music, as i lack a center channel it is an issue for movies. it's basically a stereo pre-amp with the ability to switch 2 multichannel sources as well. no video input whatsoever. as for the sound quality, this is simply the best pre-amp i have demoed; the noise floor is virtually nonexistant, the soundstage is as deep as i have experienced at home, the imaging is as good as i have heard at home, but the most significant difference between this & any other pre-amp or pre/pro is the treble; exceptional detail without any etch, grain, or steeliness, but also not overly smooth or relaxed. my only complaint is that the bass is not as tight as with the cary 11, but is still very good. this is as close to a transparent window to the source as i have heard at home. build quality & ease of use are also top notch, & finally a front screen my blind eyes can see from across the room. as i lack a center channel, have been limited to watching movies in 2 channel, as my dvd player will not mix the center channel info into the fronts, but i have watched several "action" segments of movies to hear the surround effects, which are also very good. unfortunately it does not do all that i need a pre/pro to do at this point, so i'm going to end up sticking with the cinema 11. however if anyone is looking for an analog multichannel linestage pre-amp, this receives my highest recomendation.
as i lack a player with balanced output, hoping to borrow a cd player from the dealer while i still have the C45. will update if it happens.
