Ayre K1xe vs. Simaudio P7, P8

Not sure of how you are counting the votes. I think all but one of the posters favoring Sim had not even heard the Ayre. I did not get to audition the Sim when I recently purchased my new amp and preamp. I wanted to and contacted Sim and they told me their nearest dealer was about 300 miles from me and I would have to go through him to hear the Sim. So I crossed Sim off the list. I did listen to numerous amps and preamps (including among others CJ, Boulder, AirTight, MacIntosh, BAT) and, to my ears at least, The Ayre 1 series was hands down the best. Others may differ in their evaluations and preferences, but to me the Ayre sound is the most musical. I was just telling my wife this morning that even after 6 weeks or so with the Ayre--I absolutely love the sound and have zero complaints.

Which McIntosh did you audition and what was the amp used with it?

I do not remmeber the exact McIntosh models. One was the newer integrated that I think cost around $7,000 if I remember correctly. The other was a McIntosh amp and preamp. The amp was a remake of an old McIntosh and the new version had garnered praise in a couple of audio mags. The preamp was a McIntosh but for the life of me I cannot recall the model number.

Bluesnzzz: The thread helped me discern my bias for Simaudio, a type of bias often merely "reinforced" by firsthand audition.

Admittedly, I'm quite sure that I'd be very happy with a K1, and I'm glad that you are with yours.

(But can we really conclude that none of these other fellows has heard the K1? ;)

Has anyone compared a Simaudio P7 with a McIntosh C50 or C500? I know that the feature sets are different, but what about sound quality.