Ayre C 5xe Universal vs. Cary 306 SACD


Has anyone done a direct (as in same system), thorough comparison of these two players? If so, please let us know if you were able to compare their performance on both red book CD's and SACD’s and how it turned out. Some back ground about the setup, gear, music material, etc. would be helpful, too. Thanks.
kalan

Showing 1 response by 24phun

Khrys: "The C-5xe is the finest Redbook player yet made."
Are you kidding?
Over at AA, I got into a bit of a tussle when I observed, based on a A-B test, that I didn't care for the CD playback of the C5xe compared to my Moon Supernova. Too smooth, not involving enough - for me. I WAS blown away by the SACD playback of the Ayre, however.
I'm quite sure that the CD playback of one of the higher priced, highly regarded units (such as EMM, Reimko, etc) could be better than what I've heard - but I can't afford them, so I'm better off being ignorant and blissful.
The Ayre (and the Cary) are fine units, but the best?
Nah. Ayre is fine gear, but the hype (not from the company)is a bit much. For certain, it is not all things to all people. BTW, I do own an Ayre V5xe. I have nothing against the company. Is it the best? No, but at it's price, it is VERY good.