[Asr]

I originally took hold of this CDP on the 7th, haven't started listening to it until tonight.

Now for those who may be familiar with my sonic preferences and the ongoing progress of my slowly-advancing balanced system, the Ayre CX-7e might be a surprise. Why'd I pick this CDP?

Well first I'd like to itemize why I didn't and even couldn't go with a few other CDPs I was researching. These were the Original CD-2008-MKII, CEC CD5300, and Meridian G08. The Original just looked too flashy and gaudy. I wasn't sure of the CEC's spiked feet, and I didn't want to take an expensive risk on a CDP you can't find any real English-written reviews of. And there were two things about the Meridian that just scared me away - the HUGE looking remote control (really, what the heck is that thing?), and a general description of it sounding refined, neutral, & laidback. After the experience I've had with the Arcam FMJ CD33, I've found that I don't like that kind of sound.

I spent a lot of time researching balanced CDPs - at first, I was considering only ones in black, but that ended up being too limiting, so I had to widen my target field to include silver too. I found a lot of balanced CDPs this way - for the people who might wonder just how many balanced CDPs exist in the world, there are more than you might think! There are brands all over the world that make at least 1 balanced CDP - I found over 10 brands easily.

So to cut to the chase, here are the reasons I went with the Ayre CX-7e:
- Almost every review, both from consumers and the audio press, agree that it is not entirely neutral and has a bit of a dynamic, almost aggressive streak. The more I read about this, the more exciting it seemed.

- Most reviews of the CX-7e also describe it having a large, open soundstage. Soundstage is one of the key things I listen for, so this was just more good news for me.
- There are barely any negative reviews of the CDP on the Internet.
- Price. I could've afforded this CDP either brand-new or used. Some of the other CDPs I looked at, I could've afforded only used.
- Visual aesthetics. This is always a key aspect for me - I look at my equipment as much as I listen to it, and I really don't like flashy-looking stuff. I prefer equipment to have a look that gets right to the point. The CX-7e's design is something I can definitely live with.
- A used unit on Audiogon popped up during my research.
- Finally, as trivial as it sounds, Ayre Acoustics is based out of Colorado. I've recently developed a personal gravitation towards Colorado.

Associated Equipment
- Headphones: AKG K701, Audio-Technica ATH-AD2000 [AK]Zip-recabled
- Amplifier: Lehmannaudio Black Cube Linear
- Interconnects: Signal Cable Silver Res Analog w/ Eichmann silver bullets
- Power cord: Signal Cable Silver Res Reference
- Comparison source: Arcam FMJ CD33

Initial Impressions

Today I wasn't concerned with any critical listening - just listening to hear where this differs from the Arcam, and how it renders my favorite music.

The bad news is that the Ayre's rendition is clearly different than the Arcam's, and unfortunately I have to keep waiting to find out just how much I'll really come to like it (if I do come to like it) once my balanced amp arrives. The waiting must continue.

The good news is that I don't dislike the sound, unlike what happened with the Audio Aero Prima that I used to own. The Audio Aero just never "gelled" with me, something about it always bothered me.

The sound from the Ayre is as clear and detailed as the Arcam, but unlike the Arcam, this machine has attitude - as corny as it sounds, the two brands seem to live up to an American and British persona. The Arcam is very reserved, polite, and refined - excellent sounding of course, but it ends up sounding more technical than involving. The Ayre, on the other hand, has an assertive quality - not forward, not laidback, but somewhere in between that makes it sound friendly and effervescent. Extremely pleasant. Not that it's warm-sounding - not at all. It just doesn't sound as much of a machine as the Arcam.

More impressions to come later. Too bad the jury that decides whether I like the sound of this CDP via XLR will be out for a while. But I'm eagerly anticipating for when that occasion comes.

 

[tourmaline]

I am not surprised you wanted an exciting cdplayer, since the akg701 is lacking a bit in that department.

I hear only good things about this player. Congrats.

 

[wower]

It's always a pleasure reading your insights asr. Thanks! This is definitely a player I have kept in the back of my mind. I wonder where it stands next to the saturn????

 

[twsmith]

Several years ago (before becoming a "headphile"), I owned an Ayre CX-7 (not "e" version). I used it in both unbalanced and balanced configurations. I found the player to have excellent resolution and soundstaging but frankly a little boring compared to the Creek CD53 (a British player) that I had. I later brought home the Ayre C5-xe for an extended audition, and found that it was even more resolving than the CX-7 but unfortunately still unexciting. I ended up selling the CX-7 and returning the C5-xe. I kept the Creek. Overall I would not disagree with those who feel the Ayre is a great machine but like everything else, it just didn't "do it" for me.

 

[tyrion]

The Ayre 7xe was one of my favorite cdps. It's been a while since I had mine. I sold it to got to a used DV-50 SACD/DVD-A player. I would have loved to pick up the 5xe but it was out of my budget. I thought it was an excellent redbook player, especially considering the cost of one use. Probably not the PRAT of the Naim 5i but definitely not boring to these ears. I've posted about the warranty and company before. The warranty transfers to the new owner so buying used is a very safe bet. Dealing with the service people was a pleasure. I forgot why I had to speak to them as the player didn't have any issues. I just remember them treating me as if I had bought the unit new (he knew I bought it used).

 

[chesebert]

Original 2008 sounds terrible when I compared them to Eastsound CD5.
Meridian was far from laid-back, its rather accurate, actually very accurate but little dry, boring, and and not as musical as I would have liked them to be; could be a winner with the right equipments

Ayre CX-7e do sound different from the Brits, Its the difference in taste rather than quality, a difference in kind rather than a difference in degree. Musical in their own ways.

CX-7e MUST BE used with balanced to really bring out the true CX-7e. I believe their SE comes off from the balanced and thus not as good as balanced; SE IMO is really a secondary consideration for Ayre after they perfected the balanced out.

And last thing is make sure the little DIP switch in the back is in the 'listen' position and not the 'measure' position. (unless your preference is different from mine

)

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wower /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's always a pleasure reading your insights asr. Thanks! This is definitely a player I have kept in the back of my mind. I wonder where it stands next to the saturn????

Similar in quality, different in sound. I do find Saturn a tad more holographic and Ayre a tad better in bass; I find Saturn a bit better at inner detail retrieval, but I find Ayre a bit better in top end sparkle.

Here is a rather bad analogy: Saturn is like HD600 and Ayre is like Grado RS1....wow that's really bad

(Saturn has no veil and Ayre is not wild on the FR curve

 

[Bosch]

I am an analytical listener, so I like my detailed G08 and Senns combo (SE).

It's a bit like watching DVDs....if I feel as though the image quality is lacking (transfer done from a release print vs the original negatives, overly compressed, not anamorphic, etc, etc) then my enjoyment suffers a bit.

So in music I prefer detail at the expense of PRAT, although even then, I believe that the differences between these judgements are extremely marginal and subjective. I used to play drums and have no trouble enjoying the groove in music through me gear....perhaps I'm lacking time spent with alternatives such as the Naim, which does make me curious.

So when picking gear it's important to know what you like from a psychological view point. By all means post more impressions.

 

[Icarium]

I think you made the exact right choice though I wish you were willing to forgive the Esoteric DV50's tank like build and consider it ;p

Interesting characterization of the Meridian... I would personally describe the sound as warm and very forgiving.

 

[wower]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesebert /img/forum/go_quote.gif Similar in quality, different in sound. I do find Saturn a tad more holographic and Ayre a tad better in bass; I find Saturn a bit better at inner detail retrieval, but I find Ayre a bit better in top end sparkle. Here is a rather bad analogy: Saturn is like HD600 and Ayre is like Grado RS1....wow that's really bad (Saturn has no veil and Ayre is not wild on the FR curve

Much obliged.

 

[morphsci]

I personally did not care for the Ayre after a side-by-side comparison with my G-08. I had it for about a month and it never seemed as clear as the Meridian and really showed no advantage in terms of dynamics or frequency balance. I only listened balanced for a short while as my main headphone/preamp at the time was an RSA Stealth which is only SE. I acknowledge the possibility that an extended balanced comparison may have had a different outcome. Maybe I need to pop one back in the rack

 

[Bosch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icarium /img/forum/go_quote.gif Interesting characterization of the Meridian... I would personally describe the sound as warm and very forgiving.

I totally agree with those comments too. But what strikes me the most is the detail and precision. Lately I've been listening to a lot of electronic trance music. Since the pans and soundstage detailing are very dynamic, owing to being produced on a computer, I find that the Meridian just handles all of the layers and sparkle beautifully.

On top of that I rarely hear overly digitised harshness, and the warmth is nice - one of the reasons I choose the Meridian house sound.

 

[swcwong]

Much the same as Asr, I went from a Arcam to the Ayre. I had a Arcam CD73 which I really wanted to like but it just sounded compressed and flat to me. The Ayre CX-7e was startilingly more enjoyable from the start. The sound is more forward but in my opinion still very neutral and natural (single-end mode). It is not as detailed as the Stello DA100 (which I had in my system for a while) but had a much more muscial and realistic detail with a very wide frequency range (high and low). Note that my impressions of the Ayre are through speaker listening. The imaging is superior in terms of width (but not very deep front to back).

I have the Ayre sitting on Ayre's Myrtle Blocks and using Isotek Orion for powerline conditioning (with Zu Mother II power cable). IMHO, isolation and clean power do make a difference with this CD player.

 

[chesebert]

Quote:

Originally Posted by swcwong /img/forum/go_quote.gif Much the same as Asr, I went from a Arcam to the Ayre. I had a Arcam CD73 which I really wanted to like but it just sounded compressed and flat to me. The Ayre CX-7e was startilingly more enjoyable from the start. The sound is more forward but in my opinion still very neutral and natural (single-end mode). It is not as detailed as the Stello DA100 (which I had in my system for a while) but had a much more muscial and realistic detail with a very wide frequency range (high and low). Note that my impressions of the Ayre are through speaker listening. The imaging is superior in terms of width (but not very deep front to back). I have the Ayre sitting on Ayre's Myrtle Blocks and using Isotek Orion for powerline conditioning (with Zu Mother II power cable). IMHO, isolation and clean power do make a difference with this CD player.

I find a good power cord makes a lot of difference with Ayre stuff. You might want to have the CDP run in balanced mode as SE is clearly inferior for that CDP

 

[tourmaline]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chesebert /img/forum/go_quote.gif I find a good power cord makes a lot of difference with Ayre stuff. You might want to have the CDP run in balanced mode as SE is clearly inferior for that CDP

Not only with eyre! A good powercord makes a difference with any good equipment.