Ayre Codex vs. ESS SABRE ES9010K2M (Yamaha AS801)


Hey all:

I'm thinking about purchasing a Yamaha AS801 which has the ESS Sabre DAC in it.  I have an Ayre Codex presently.  Wondering if the Yamaha DAC would be a good replacement for the Codex or if I should buy a DACless amp and keep the Codex.  Does that make sense?

Thoughts appreciated.

soundchasr

Showing 4 responses by jjss49

if the rest of your system - i.e. your source and your speakers - is resolving, of true hi fi quality, the ayre codex will sound vastly superior
What makes the Codex outstanding is the diamond output stage with headophones. Really amazing. No DAC chip can replace that.

i don’t listen to headphones, and i feel the codex is one of the most 'analog', coherent, natural sounding dacs irrespective of price run as a straight dac ... tho i would add that it does seem to resolve a bit better via xlr out vs rca though

a real giant killer of a dac... sold several of the more expensive dacs i had on hand once i got the codex
@stringreen

i can get a really good deal on a ford fusion, but can you tell me if it might be as good (if not better) than a mercedes e350?

i was just wondering 🤣