[mink70]

So can we now safely conclude that the Codex uses the Sabre ES9018, not the mobile version found in the Pono Player?

 

[yage]

The Codex uses the same DAC as in the PonoPlayer - ESS 9018K2M.
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/axpona-2015-ayre-acoustics-codex-headphone-ampdac#cu6FRA51khiIi0UK.97

 

[mink70]

  The Codex uses the same DAC as in the PonoPlayer - ESS 9018K2M.
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/axpona-2015-ayre-acoustics-codex-headphone-ampdac#cu6FRA51khiIi0UK.97

Hmm yage, are you sure? That article is from April. 
 
The Codex lit on the Ayre website says it's the ES9018: https://www.ayre.com/literature/Ayre_Codex_Lit.pdf
 
So do the dealer ads. 
 
Curious to find out.

 

[yage]

  Hmm yage, are you sure? That article is from April. 
 
The Codex lit on the Ayre website says it's the ES9018: https://www.ayre.com/literature/Ayre_Codex_Lit.pdf
 
So do the dealer ads. 
 
Curious to find out.

 
Hey, you're right. I'd be curious too... Maybe Alex is monitoring the thread and will chime in.

 

[mink70]

   
Hey, you're right. I'd be curious too... Maybe Alex is monitoring the thread and will chime in.

Hey Alex Brinkman, if you're watching, could you weigh in?

 

[L8MDL]

Curious as to why anyone questions Ayre literature. Surely they know what chip they used!

 

[mink70]

Curious as to why anyone questions Ayre literature. Surely they know what chip they used!

In this case, though, there's some legitimate confusion. Tyll, Darko and Alex Brinkman reported that the Codex uses the mobile chip in the Pono Player, so there's that. Of course it's not the end of the world either way, but as I own the Pono and am very close to buying a Codex, it seems a useful thing to know.

 

[DoctaCosmos]

So has anyone compared the codex to anything? Would it be considered a value against similar priced combos?

 

[KmanChu]

So has anyone compared the codex to anything? Would it be considered a value against similar priced combos?

I haven't compared it directly, but I used to own a BMC PureDAC. Which I was using with my current amplifier and headphones. The PureDAC is a good dac, very neutral and clear, and it has a very good balanced headphone stage. I was using it with my current tube amp and direct from its balanced output. I ultimately sold that dac because I found it a bit sterile and clinical sounding, and it just wasn't doing it for me. When I did listen to it I found it far more enjoyable to listen with the tube amp than direct from the headphone output. The Codex is far more enjoyable for my taste. I am currently listening to the Codex balanced headphone outs and comparing to my tube amp and the character is far more similar. Ayre manages to voice their components in a way that has a lot of tube-ish character and this really shines through when listening to the Codex.  
 
The only other dac in my house right now is my NAD M51. I will bring it over to the headphone rig and do some listening comparisons with it this weekend. My suspicion is that it's not going to be even close which I prefer.

 

[mink70]

Any more impressions from folks who have had a chance to spend some time with the Codex?

 

[Matt-Helm]

I went from a Marantz HD-DAC1 w/ Audioquest Nighthawks to the Codex + HD800 + Balanced cable. HUGE DIFFERENCE.
 
Truly a pleasure to listen to.

 

[mink70]

  I went from a Marantz HD-DAC1 w/ Audioquest Nighthawks to the Codex + HD800 + Balanced cable. HUGE DIFFERENCE.
 
Truly a pleasure to listen to.

Thanks. Can you say a little about the DAC section and the difference between the Marantz and the Codex?

 

[jrfmd]

I used the optical because the usb didn't work after 1 day (Ayre has it in for repair/replacement now)
 
What i was listening to classical music, on all works but beethovens 9th, at the end of movement 4 ( where there is a huge drum used i am told is a 20/sec tone) there is no loss of tone (double basses are equal on both). With the 20 cycle drum I can feel the difference but that is a full body impact vs an ear-only impact. I can still "hear" the tone but the impact is different
 
most music doesn't use an instrument with such a low primary frequency, I cant think of anything else that does.
 
Jeff

 

[mink70]

Well, bought a Codex this weekend. Lots of warnings about 300 hour break in from the dealer. Sounded incredible after 10 hours, but a little wooly. After 25 hours or so, the sound became more clear but also more plasticky and glassy, i.e. more typically digital. So a step back for now. Can anyone comment on break in with the Codex?

 

[austinpop]

Very interesting. Please keep us posted about how the sonics change as you continue to break it in.
 
Can you tell us the rest of the chain: source(s) and headphones?