Ayre AX7e vs Hegel H160

"But given that streaming from iPhones and other mobile devices seems to be more of the current thing,"

If you are going to stream music from an iPhone then I highly recommend the Peachtree Nova 150. Should be similar or cheaper price to the 2 units the OP has listed.

In the past I would never have listened to iTunes on my stereo system. The only reason I had iTunes in the first place was someone gave me a gift card for iTunes so I tried it out.

Recently my Sonare SonicOrbiter went on the frits and I could not get music from my server to my Peachtree which is located in another room. So I decided to try the iTunes library that was on my iPhone. I was surprised at how good the MP3 sounded through the Peachtree. It turns out that the dedicated Peachtree USB input for Apple has some magic to make iTunes sound better than expected. Not great but rather good for MP3.

I have FM radio, iTunes, and once my Ethernet-to-USB device is fixed, FLAC via my music server playing through the excellent Peachtree 150.

Had the Ayre V-5xe and K-5xe combo ( a step up from the A-X7e integrated), before replacing it with a Hegel H160. (Have an external 15k Euros dac, so never used the Hegel dac).

The Hegel has some more resolution, a bit more low midrange richness than the Ayre combo. The Hegel has more snap, pratt and bass.

That Ayre gear was price competitive in the mid 2000s years. But not anymore, you get a lot more for your money now with brands like Hegel, and others. That is if you don t mind the lower end casing and look, because sure the Ayre has better quality casing made from brushed aluminum...

Personally we think you can do better for not that much more money.

Look at the Micromega M100 which offers similar connectivity to the Hegel with an even wider feature set.

The Micromega has a better dac that supports all high res files, has a built in phono stage, offers room correction option, warm in tonality, Airplay.

The M100 is a class A/B amplifier and offers a very engaging sound that is very musical in a stunning form factor.,

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ

I did an extensive comparison between the Ayre AX7e and the Hegel H160 using its internal DAC. I used the Ayre Codex with the AX7e. In my system, Harbeth SHL5+, Aurender N100H and all Audioquest cabling, the Ayre system was a much better fit for me.

In my system the Hegel had a whitish, clinical sound that I could not warm up to. This surprised me because I have never heard anyone describe the Hegel in that way. I heard the Hegel again recently using one of their external DAC’s and it sounded much better, though it was not in my system and it was using B&W speakers.

this is just my experience and YMMV. Good Luck!

Thanks for the reply.  I am aware that the Hegel DAC would not be used with the Pono...but it seems to me it is an useful extra if they want to play files from their laptops.  But given that streaming from iPhones and other mobile devices seems to be more of the current thing, I wonder if the DAC will sit idle while they opt for a bluetooth connective device like the Bluesound Node or its competitors. You could say "why don't you ask them?" and I could but it is to be a surprise.

The DAC in the Hegel will not be employed with the system you are proposing since the Pono includes its own high quality DAC.  The Pono DAC was designed by Ayre and is similar to the circuit used in the Ayre Codex.  Both my Pono and Codex sound excellent through my Ayre powered system especially in balanced mode.

I own an all Ayre/Vandersteen system.   ....don't know your system but do know that Ayre has top level customer support...   Their stuff is built like a tank....you probably won't need it.....  but know that its there.

I do not know too much about Ayre. I do know Hegel and they make gear that pulls above their weight. The DACs are also well regarded.