October 31, 200718 yr Linked from here Excerpt: Class A+ The Ayre CX - 5E is what makes this hobby so enjoyable. Superb sonics and excellent build quality abounds here. The Ayre is very easy to listen to. None of those explosive dynamics or hearing every little detail on a recording to upset that late night relaxing listening session. Tired of deep, impactful bass and midbass, that may bother family members in another room? Worry not! The Ayre is nicely rolled off in both frequency extremes so any digital nasties on those poor recordings will not be revealed. The soundstage is nice and concise. Tidy is a good way to describe it. While other players may present an image that extends way beyond the boundaries of the speakers, the Ayre is infinitely more precise and actually locates all the sounds right on the speaker drivers. All in all, the Ayre is what high end audio is all about. Is it perfect? No, its display is a little dim and the size of the display a tad small for those of advanced years, like most of our readers. At $6000, a virtual bargain if it played only redbook, but add the fact that the CX -5E is a multi format player, and we are talking a literal "give away". Most Highly recommended!!
November 1, 200718 yr Going to the website, it seems it's still considered class A+, so...WTF? This website is getting a lot of flak right now on AA. I don't care who's right but is sure is fun to see other people argue...
November 1, 200718 yr This is the perfect player for those not overly fussy or demanding and whose association with live music is non existent All in all, a good read. Biggie.
November 2, 200718 yr I can't tell if his review of the APL player is positive or sarcastically negative. Interesting that he thought it sounded that smooth since I and others I've talked to have said that it is so detailed that to some who are used to a smoother more forgiving sound it can sound grainy. Meh I guess its dependent on revision perhaps.
November 2, 200718 yr Author And they say sarcasm doesn't convey in print. If you've noticed, it's a brilliant parody of the Stereophile Recommended Components List. A most awesome review indeed. I'm guessing the ARC is actually good though? The non-parody evaluation can be found here.
November 2, 200718 yr Here is the back story to this "review". Enjoy! http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/digital/messages/13/133060.html
November 2, 200718 yr I am always fascinated when "audiophiles" get into these e-brawls. It often times takes hours to figure out who is full of it and who speaks the truth. Makes some of my work annoyances seem trivial....
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