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There's lot's of good reviews but it's hard for me to get my lazy butt that far to the nearest dealer to listen to it. This is my first attempt at owning a really good CD player. I've been spending most of my hi-fi dollars on analog. But now I've come to a point where I realize I'm buying more CD's than LP's. Something had to give. I hope this works out. :)
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It's all good. Great sound. Detail without harshness. Soundstage. Bass. Treble. Mids. The only limitation I have found is the CD itself. The Ayre lets you understand the true meaning of the term "production values".As for the company: you are right about the upgrade path. You can buy an older version on Audiogon and send it to Ayre. They will upgrade it to the latest version. Amps and pre-amps too.
And they stand behind their products. A 5 year warranty on a CD player. Who offers that these days?
I don't know what the rest of your system is, but the Ayre CX-7e will not be its limiting factor.
Yes, that upgrade path possibility is a big plus.I will be surprised if the player is not the weak link in my system, however. It will be a new experience to have such a CD player in my system - it's always been the weak link in there for me it seems. But I have never budgeted truly high-end players for my system except the Sony SCD-777ES.
I also have a very high end phono system and I know it also is not perfect, and I know it can be greatly improved upon. So it's difficult to pinpoint the weakest link - speakers or source on this. The electronics I have are closest to being perfect. Enough trial and error shows little gains to be had in that area at this point.
I will love it if the CD player allows me to start enjoying CD in a way I have never had before.
My system in the front room is all analog right now. The SACD/CD player (Sony SCD-777ES) is in my HT system which is doing alright there. I moved it over there because it is my "winter home" (smaller room with a space heater) and I like some music sometimes there.
The front room system is a Teres 255 TT with JMW-10 arm, Koetsu Urushi cartridge, a custom wound step-up transformer, a custom built tubed phono preamp, a custom wound autotransformer volume control and input selector, a custom built 45 SET amp with 01A DHT driver with custom passive equalization for the overall system balance, and a pair of B-D Design Oris 150 horns with 110 dB sensitivity.
With a system like that, there is no problem obtaining PRaT from a decent digital player, the horns are mighty quick on the transients and do not compress the music crescendos. So ultimate PRaT is not the ultimate quality I seek in a player.
There may not be enough gain in the passive volume control for the CD player's output, but I think it will be okay. If not I do have a custom built 27-based tube line stage for gain.
This is so tweaked for overall balance, it actually comes out pretty neutral but with some midrange sweetness. I don't expect full midrange harmonics from a CD player like the output of a Koetsu Urushi, and that's where I considered the Audio Notes and other tubed players, but Accuphase proved to me that it can be done with transistors to a satisfying level. I expect that in the least, I won't feel it's all missing with the Ayre. And if not, I can always add a euphonic tweak to the 27-based linestage which sacrifices little in transparency while doing that.
How long before I dial all this in? Probably months! See, this is why I have almost given up on the formal "unfamiliar system" auditioning ritual. Only one other system I have heard enough to trust to make a good opinion of. That's Elliot Kallen's system at Santa Rosa's "The Tweak Shop". I have heard it all there, too, and am very familiar with his house sound. So he has the Accuphases, and I know those are good. Just wished they were down to $3K.
As it goes, it is a fine player with a very sophisticated sound. Just keep your fingers crossed it gells well with your set-up.
They seem to be (not heard one)almost universally liked by reviewers and owners with the exception of those who prefer an upfront,somewhat forward, player. Seems like a great company also, which doesn't hurt, in my books.
But only after a few months of use in my own home will I really know for sure. I take a LONG time to accept or reject a new component.
I have been considering the Ayre cd player also. I have also been considering a used Accuphase 57. What other players did you consider? Does anyone know the going price range on the 57?
Thanks
Frank
I have asked around the bay area to dealers over the years about CD players and how they sound in general and what would fit on my short list. I have considered BAT, Accuphase, Ayre, and Audio Note. I would have put Audio Note up higher on my possibility list except that they are only DACs and I need a transport too, so I really wanted to stick to an all-in-one player.Accuphase sounded great to me, but the price is double the Ayre and is really way more than I want to spend. I always distrust used electronics - you never know what kind of lemon you're getting. Maybe I should not think that way, but I do. BAT seemed okay, but I think reviews have shown that it was surpassed by the Ayre. I see that Ayre players are bought and used as reference CD players by several reviewers which says something.
So at a price point of $3K, it looked like there was only one stand-out from the descriptions I was getting. I chose to gamble and just ordered it from a local bay area dealer and save me the trip going down there. They will take shipment of the player and then re-ship it to my house. I guess I'm kind of a lazy online shopper type of guy. :)
Read my other posting as to what led me to start doing it like this.
Isn't your cart before the horse?
First of all, I really hate driving all over the bay area listening to different players in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar equipment with it and trying to decide which is best from that.So I have decided to trust my instincts on what others say about it (the reviews, the dealer's opinions about it compared to others that they sell), and how that will fit in to my own system. Nobody I know has a high-end CD player around here except for a dealer that sells Accuphase. But those are just a little too pricey for me.
It's really a difficult situation for me to properly audition a component like this. If it's a failure, I will sell and move on. But nobody seems to be selling off their Ayre CX-7e's. The company is good, the designer I trust, the product is described to meet my requirements, there are possibilities for upgrade paths with their products, service is excellent, and the price is right. It's a gamble I chose to take. In the past I would never have done it without hearing it at their strange listening room, but I have a little different attitude toward these things now, and it actually comes from experience.
I have designed a lot of my own components, built kits sight-unseen, and made many mods. I have come to expect some imperfection and a possibility of a tweak to get it where I like it. If it just doesn't get where I like it, like I wrote earlier, I will just sell it. I have to own a piece for a long time and give it all I can before I decide I like it or not. So it's always going to be a gamble.
Some of the worst decisions I made in audio came after extensive listening comparisons. I found out often later there were things I couldn't stand in the long run. Some of the best decisions I made were on a whim. Always, it's a gamble. Doesn't life suck as an audiophile?
So I have come to rely on comments and my instincts. That is the case here. So yeah, it's a joke that I ask the question "is this thing any good"? I'm betting it will be. I shall see.
I have heard both the Ayre and Rega. The Rega is a much better machine IMHO. But you will have to live with the quirks of the toploader and spartan functions.
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