Ayon CD2 is AMAZING

I own an Ayon CD-1s in a system with an Ayon Spirit II integrated and a pair of PBN Montana EPS2 speakers. I purchased the CD-1s new for $2400. The CD-1s is a fine piece of equipment. I compared it to the $1650 Cambridge CD player , a Bryston player at $2,300, a Naim player at, I think $3,000 and to several DACs (using my old CD player as a transport. In direct comparison, in my system... the CD 1s was the clear winner.

Attributes? Good imaging --- wide and large. Good presence, full-bodied, rich sounding. Engaging? yes.

Weaknesses? can be bright on some recordings and is especially problematic with certain piano and clarinet recordings. That said, the boldness of the player lends well to more recordings that otherwise would be non-engaging --- more than making up for having problems with some strident piano and/or clarinet recordings.

Overall impression of the Ayon gear? I'd say that the gear is definitely not the Bugatti of Audio and probably not gear that is among the very best value/performance ratio out there... but is as well by no means a dog either. I'd say the Ayon gear is a fair to pretty good value/performance product across the board.

Mlb: Agreed they had in view the top Ayon gear. My comments about the lower end of the Ayon gear was intended to be extrapolated out. That is, at the entry-level the Ayon gear has very good to very, very good performance/value --- but not off the scales performance/value. If that applies across the board for the Ayon gear, then it is reasonable to assert that the Bugatti thing is hyperbole. Of course the performance/value relative to equal cost alternatives might get better as cost goes up for Ayon... who knows. Maybe some of you do...

My point is that, generally, in this thread we have two camps... the Ayon is awesome and the Ayon is a rip-off/sham product. I'm arguing that Ayon appears to be neither --- rather it is solid gear at fair prices like a vast array of other gear... quite a bit closer I'd think to the top of the performance/value end of the continuum than it is to the rip-off/sham end. But not at the top. The Bugatti thing is to sell magazines and prime the system more than anything else.

Melbguyl:

No I have not heard the higher end stuff --- which is why I stated in the above post that "Of course the performance/value relative to equal cost alternatives might get better as cost goes up for Ayon... who knows. Maybe some of you do..."

Clearly you do... and that adds quite a bit to the discussion. Seemingly, at least based upon your testimony, the performance/value relative to equal priced stuff does go up with increasing cost for Ayon --- at least by one measure (is the accusphase over priced?). And again, I stated, i think clearly, that Ayon at the Spirit II and CD-1s level are very, very good performers for the money.

To assert that any brand is the Bugatti of audio (even asserting that Bugatti is the Bugatti of cars) is a stretch. There are doubtless an array of really great pieces of audio equipment that constitute the highest echelon of performance/cost at a given price level. I'd say the entry Ayon stuff is very,very good at the price point --- much closer to the top than the bottom (or even the middle) and as you say... maybe as price point goes up maybe ayon gets better relative to the competition..

What at least we can agree upon is that those who assert that Ayon is a pretender --- just good advertising but modest (at best) performers --- well such assessments seem off base.

Melbguy1:

Yep. the truth is usually in the middle.

An aside. I really wish I could hear, in my system or any system for that matter, some of the really high end Ayon (and other companies stuff too.) I live in the boonies and there is one high end dealership 4 hours away (though it is not a great place at all) and the next closest one is 9 hours away. With all my purchases, I have had to order, pay for and have delivered equipment I never heard before --- a limitation to be sure. It is tough to audition in your own home before purchase... or even hear, in any context, much equipment when you live in a remote place.

So... those of you privileged enough to have access... do not take it for granted!