Have you leard of the following cd players?

[audiofan]

1. Plininus CD101
2. Ayre CX-7e
3. Musical Fidelity A5


I listen to MF A5, but not Plinius and Ayre. What's your opinion on them and what is your preferene?

thanks.

[jim777]

I heard the Ayre and the MF last week. I prefer Linn Unidisk or McIntosh MCD201 by a very large margin. The MF was one of the worse setups I have ever heard in that price range for musicality - might be what some "audiophiles" are looking for though

[RJKuzma]

jim777; What is your definition of "what some audiophiles" are looking for? That would help me in understanding your criteria for assesment. I've heard the Musical Fidelity, Ayre, and the McIntosh, but not the Plininus or the Linn. The Musical Fidelity and Ayre are both top notch players in soundstage recreation, accuracy, and musicality, in my opinion. What "setup" did the Musical Fidelity unit have? Is it the setup, the unit, or something about the rest of the system? General statements can sway a listener without shedding much light on the topic. Did the setup contain speakers or amplifiers, or an acoustic environment that you did not prefer? One can not simply make a statement without describing the environment in which the evaluation was made. I don't own or sell any of the equipment listed, but I do prefer justifiable opinions.

[jim777]

jim777; What is your definition of "what some audiophiles" are looking for? That would help me in understanding your criteria for assesment. I've heard the Musical Fidelity, Ayre, and the McIntosh, but not the Plininus or the Linn. The Musical Fidelity and Ayre are both top notch players in soundstage recreation, accuracy, and musicality, in my opinion. What "setup" did the Musical Fidelity unit have? Is it the setup, the unit, or something about the rest of the system? General statements can sway a listener without shedding much light on the topic. Did the setup contain speakers or amplifiers, or an acoustic environment that you did not prefer? One can not simply make a statement without describing the environment in which the evaluation was made. I don't own or sell any of the equipment listed, but I do prefer justifiable opinions.

Sorry for the super-subjective detail-lacking remarks.. :#

BTW I remember that I also heard Ayre with Sonus Fabers and that can be a sweet setup. Ayre looks like some top-notch stuff.

The MF setup wasn't in an ideal acoustical environment and I can't even recall what speakers were used. Maybe those speakers were crap. So your remark is correct, I shouldn't have gave a "bad review" to MF too fast. First impressions you know... it sounded *so* bad (IMO) that I didn't even try to understand why...


"what some audiophiles are looking for" => (perception of) detail over musicality???

[DifferentLee]

I've heard both the Ayre and the new Musical Fidelity and they both sound very good. The best one I have heard lately though is a Dan Wright modified Sony 999ES DVD player. Absolutely sublime.