Ayon cd3 Versus AMR 777cdp

I own the Ayon CD-1 and have owned the Bluenote Stibbert, Oracle, Emm and plain and simple the Ayon CD-1 is the finest sounding CD player I have encountered. My partner purchased the CD-3 and the sound is even better, a magical experience, you can actually hear the instruments in their own space, it is uncanny. We went to 2 shops in LA and listened to the Ayon CD-3, the Meridian, Audio Research, Mac and the AMR player. When compared to the AMR the CD-3 was again more musical, woody and much more three dimensional, not edgy and very refined, yet FRONT ROW CENTER. Ayon's CD are hard to beat.
MLK

Audio852 - Which shop in L.A. did you listen to the AMR? According to the importer Avatar Acoustics, there are currently no L.A. shops with the unit. The closest is their rep Brian Kyle in Dana Point. I look forward to your reply.
Ken

Sure, Top Audio in Westminster has it. 714-891-8944.
Good luck

i have heard ayon players in an all ayon csystem at ces. i have also heard the amr 77 at ces and a stereophile show.

i can think of several digital sources i would rather own than the ayon, including audio research ref 7, lector 7 mk 1, reimyo, zanden, audio aero capitole mk 1 and the sony playstation 1.

the ayon players do not sound like there is a tube in them.

of course, it is all subjective, hence opinion.

Hi Mrtennis, remember this posting you posted, back on 4-10?

This what you look for in a CD player!

Here is a copy of what audiogon member -mrtennis- posted back on 4-10 about CD Players!

i like a dull, veiled, laid,back, boring sound capable of putting me to sleep. i hate treble and i don't like detail. i like subtractive coloration to such an extent that all recordings sound the same. you can talk about detail, neutrality all day long.
if you don't tap your foot, it doesn't matter.

i want to relax, not bothered by detail or dynamics. veil the sound and cut off the highs. darkness and dullsville is my motto, by choice. thick caramel syrup makes me happy.
Mrtennis (Threads | Answers)

04-10

Wow! - I own the Ayon CD player and I can without any reservation tell you that it is the best sound I have ever heard and No "thick caramel syrup" is not what I look for in a cd player or any audio gear.

I have owned EMM, Audio Reserach, Ayre, reimo and I think you are wrong, the Ayon is superior. I do like the Lector CDP7T too.

MLK

Audio 852: I have to second Mrtennis. I have owned an all Ayon system (cd-1, falcon s and sunfire). the falcon s and the sunfire are outstanding components - I still use them right now. The cd-1 was the most unsatisfying cd-player I used within the last two years (and I had a lot of them). At the price point good quality but any Ayre C-5xe or EMM beats the hell out of this machine. Sorry...

Frankpiet,
With all due respect I had the Ayre 5- C-xe and in my system 3 different people preferred the Ayon other than maybe bass which was close, system dependent I guess.

Best,Bob

Bobf: thats a bit strange - even german Ayon dealer say, that the c-5xe is better. I A-Bed them in my main system (Ayre K-1xe - Pass X 350.5 and Avalon Opus Ceramique) and in my secondary system at that time Ayon Sunfire - Ayon Falcon S). In both systems the C-5xe came out as a CLEAR winner. Probably you´ve just connected one channel of the Ayre ;-) (kidding)...

Hi Frankpiet,
9 out 10 will tell that the Ayon CD's are top winners. All you have to do is Google the Ayon CD-1 and read it for yourself, not to mention what owners of these units have to say, right here on Audiogon, just sheer audio happiness. Review after review. Look at the 6moons review by Ken Micallef and Ken is a real level headed reviewer.

http://6moons.com/audioreviews/ayon/cd1.html

Ken states - Better than Vinly!

He compared it to the Ayre, it out soundstaged the Ayre in his opinion to include a long list of other top players. Did you know that the Ayon CD-1 outsells top tube players 2 to 1.....?
MLK

Hi Frankpiet,
Oh no, I had it upside down,wondered why the cd would not stay in :^)

Really though I had three players here I preferred over the Ayre and ended up buying the one that worked for me best.

Best,Bob

Audio852: I never trust any reviews. When you buy machines the reviewers like - in Germany mostly Accuphase or ML you realy buy crap. Big companies behind no musicality, nicely build but thats all. Same with Transrotor turntables. Great design, very well build but total lack of musicality.
I know Mr. Hirth the owner from Ayon a bit and even he would not say that the CD-1 betters the C-5xe.
When you look into German high-end mags Ayon CD-1 is ranked with 80% and CD-3 with 85% of the Nagra CD-Players performance (Stereo).
The C-5xe is ranked much higher than CD-1 (135 points vs. 105 - Stereoplay).
I think both mags are closer to reality than 6moons.
Btw: I´m a professional musician and I really can trust my ears (30 years of classic music education).
Best, Frank

Hi Frankpiet,

Review magazines, 30 years in music education has nothing to do with what a person perceives as music to their ears and what they prefer. What everyone on this blog is saying, is that the Ayon CD players, simply sound better than the C-5xe and they prefer the Ayon players, as I do.

I personally met Mr. Gerhard Hirt, owner of Ayon Audio at the Munich 2008 show and I can assure you that he would just smile, chuckle at your statement, that the C5xe is better than the Ayon CD-1.

I too am a professional musician, pianist, for that past 35 years, I enjoy a front row center live event and that is what the Ayon cd players deliver!
MLK

a front row center perspective may be what you prefer , but it is a very forward perspective. i also question whether ayon players have a balanced frequency response.

if one prefers a mid hall or rear hall position, the ayon is not the answer.

i think the amr is less timbrally inaccurate than the ayon players.

Audio852: interesting - probably we should meet for a jam session ;) If you like CD-1 fine - you can get them very cheap used at german audiomarkt.de (for good reason).
Later this year CD-2 will be released for about € 3.500,-
which is said to better the CD-1. BTW: not few people over here believe that in terms of resolution, control and transparency even the CX-7e betters the CD-1. Probably germans listen in a different way to music as americans do ?
The only thing I can tell about Ayon: great speakers, great cables, great amps and a very nice Mr.Hirth BUT crap cd-players

Hi Frankpiet,
Yes, the Ayon CD players are the best, I agree. There are Ayer's, only 6 months old for sale right here on Audiogon
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?dgtlplay&1220946409
(for good reason)

There is no CD-2 coming out this year nor next year, there is a CD-5, I saw it in Munich and it sounded remarkable. There is no doubt that Americans listen to music in a differnet way than Germans do, it is all about space, we have more of it.

The only thing I can tell you is that the Ayon CD players are impossible to beat and using a solid state anything as a source is nuts!

Audio852: according to Mr. Hirth and my local Ayon dealer a CD-2 will be released this year in september/october - a single box player at the price point of € 3.500,-

Is the CD-5 you saw in munich a one or two box design ?

any other comments about Ayon and AMR since there are more new models from Ayon for instance 1sx,3sx,5s etc?