I have heard them both just not at the same time to do a fair AB comparison. However I can say that the Ayre caught me with much more impact than I ever remember getting out of the Linn. The local dealer sells both and it would be interesting to do AB comp. But I really feel safe in saying the Ayre would be better in every dimension. I just think the Ayre has a better grip on sound definition. I did sell and Ikemi to get a C5XE and have never looked back. Charles Hansen has a great knack for extracting the best and most natural accurate sound. Again just my opinion.
