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There has been some personal interest in my recent visit with Ayre and Classe' that I thought I would share with the people here. It is a bit lengthy but I hope you find it a useful read just the same.
Purpose:
You are probably wondering why I would even bother to demo another brand so soon after purchasing a "state-of-the-art" Classe' Delta series (two-channel) system. Well, for the same reason why others with a passion for this hobby would do it, to see if I discovered musical nirvana over the hi-fi rainbow. Maybe you are also wondering if reaching the mythical goal is even possible. Well... if you stick to the strict meaning of the word then yes, I do believe it is possible to reach musical bliss. This leads us to the topic at hand and a question in search of an answer "Is Classe’ nirvana?"
Why compare with Ayre? Well, why not? Ayre has earned an admirable reputation in the hi-fi community and garnered a lot of attention of late primarily due to the release of their relatively new and highly acclaimed universal player the C-5xe. In addition, while many other high-end solid-state equipment manufacturers continue to invest in integrated circuitry and surface mount technology, Ayre has decided to take a throw back approach of employing mostly discrete devices in overly simplistic designs. I thought a match up between "old country" and "new territory" would make for some interesting revelations.
Setup:
This exercise has been the most laboriously involved and it has utilized the most controlled testing environment that I have conducted to date. I spent approximately 20 hours listening to both systems over a four day period. Each setup was configured to use the same speakers (B&W 803S's), the same speaker cables (Kimber Kable Monocle’s) in a non-bi-wired fashion, and in the same environment. Each component was joined using Kimber Kable HERO XLR (balanced) interconnects. Each system was metered to play at the same volumes which typically ranged from 66dB to 86dB (non-reference levels) from the listing position (12 feet away from the loudspeakers). Nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, else was altered in the system or within the surrounding environment other than moving the speaker cables to connect from one system to the other. The same music was played on both systems and listened to from the same location. The equipment used for this review was Ayre's C-5xe universal player and AX-7e integrated amplifier (the 1 and 5 series pre-amp and amp were unavailable for this review, comments to follow) and from the Classe' side was the CDP-202 CD player, CP-700 pre-amplifier and CA-400 monoblocks.
Build:
While I found both Ayre pieces to be solidly built I didn't care for the nut and bolt protrusions that graced their bellies. Furthermore, I am a detail freak. Apparently the guys at Ayre don't have an "eye" for detail which is unlike the guy's at camp Classe'. All three Classe' pieces shared similar exterior dimensions, utilized identical parts including screws, covers and chassis and were assembled to seamless perfection that included smooth surfaces which showcased the attention that was obviously paid to detail. If it weren't for the similar facial cosmetics shared between the two Ayre pieces one could think that they were made from two totally different companies. I also didn't care the tint Ayre used for their aluminum surfaces nor did I like the user interfaces and displays and somewhat clumsy remote controls. Classe' on the other hand was far more elegant in overall appearance having utilizing a good balance of blacks and brushed aluminum surfaces and, unlike Ayre, user interaction was intuitive and consistent across all three components. Sitting next to Classe' the Ayre looked faded and dated.
Sound:
I approached this review as I do every review. First, I take a macroscopic approach. I look for overall sound staging, dimensionality, imaging, tonal balance and dynamic range. Then from a microscopic point of view I focus on the performance of the individual drivers and the crossover network. I look for high level details and transparency, midband presence and clarity, and finally low level extension and impact.
First, a few comments about background noise and noise floor observations. I noticed that the AX-7e produced a low level hum that, in a quite room such as mine, was clearly audible a few feet away whether the unit was on or off (placed in standby). Neither of the two Classe’ mono’s I had made a hint of noise, they were dead silent. If it wasn’t for the blue light that said they were on I would have mistaken them for being complete powered off. On the other hand, the Ayre system exhibited virtually no or very little speaker noise, at normal volume levels (no signal was present) but the Classe’ system did. However, the noise was held at a constant level all the way through to about 90dB (readout from the display) before it began to increase. Unlike the Classe’ system, the speaker noise coming from the Ayre continued to increase linearly as volume increased. At normal listening levels the Ayre was much quieter than the Classe’ was but once reference volume levels were reached both systems produced the same amount of noise.
After both systems were calibrated to the proper volume levels I began my critique with the Ayre setup. My first impression of the Ayre system was a good one, very good in fact. I found it to perform well on most of the above criteria. Soundstage width and height were proportional, imaging was first rate and tonal balance and dynamic range was spot on. Upper frequency details and transparency were remarkable, midrange presence was immediate and open, and lower frequencies well extended. When it came time to put the Classe’ system through the same paces I wasn’t left with a similar overall first impression. In fact, I found the Ayre to sound more polished (keep reading).
Utilizing the same CDs from artists such as Norah Jones, Marc Antoine, Fourplay, David Benoit, Brain Culbertson, Paul Hardcastle, Euge Grove, Dave Koz, Norman Brown, and Fleetwood Mac, I went back and forth between each system playing the same tracks over and over and dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of each system with the hopes of differentiating one over the other during the four day tour. It was a sobering moment that first day to learn that a system one third the list price of another was performing at the top of its game. But as time went on things began to change. I became more acutely aware of the two systems personalities and I started to notice things that discourage me from one system and things that appealed to me with the other.
The Classe’ system initially demonstrated the same level of detail as did the Ayre but with a slight bit of acoustical mist that covered the overall presentation. This was readily apparent on Paul Hardcastle’s “Serene” which synthesizes the trickling of broken glass. Ayre was almost Bryston-esq in its transparency. The Classe’ system also lacked some clarity and “air” that was noticed in the Ayre system. Oddly, I didn’t recall either of these weaknesses coming from the Classe’ system before I started these battery of tests, leaving me little dumbfounded at this point. Continuing on, I noticed both systems delivered good bass extension, but again it was a bit puzzling that the Classe’ system didn’t break out at this point. How could it be that a 400 watt monoblock performed no better than a 60 watt integrated amplifier (there are technical reasons for this that I won’t get into here)? I also found midrange presence slightly more open and “alive” with the Ayre than I did with the Classe’.
It wasn’t until later, around the third day, that I realized what some of the discrepancies and shortcomings were attributed to. It turns out there were a few things that were working in favor for the Ayre system while simultaneously working against the Classe’ system. First, both Ayre pieces were fully broken in, none of the Classe’ pieces were even marginally broken in, less than 10 percent to put a figure on it. Most high-end audio equipment requires time to be run in because of the discrete components they use (the manufactures will also tell you so). Classe’ requires a minimum of 300 hours and Ayre up to 500 hours. Second, much of these tests were conducted at low listening volumes giving the Ayre a slight advantage because the demands placed on it were designed only to exercise the system’s acoustical ability, not its power handling capability. There were a few times when SPL’s reached 100dB but they were few and far between, because I needed to preserve my hearing for critical listening. Needless to say, the AX-7e had the guts (the current) to power my somewhat efficient speakers to loud levels when called upon to do so. Finally, the Classe’ system was not bi-wired to the 803S’s for the purposes of these tests because Ayre amplifiers do not support banana plugs and only have one set of binding posts to boot making it impossible (for me) to test both systems under bi-wire conditions. Assuming that none of these so called limitations existed in this experiment; wouldn’t the Ayre still be better? I doubt it. In fact, the Classe’ system that started out the gate somewhat slow came on strong towards the end and eventually broke past the leading contender.
Up to this point I stated all of the things the Ayre setup did well and all the things the Classe’ setup didn’t but this is about to change. By the end of the test period, I noticed that while the Classe’ system still hadn’t reached the level of transparency and clarity that the Ayre exhibited from the start it did improve. And once I was able to hook the speakers back up in a bi-wired configuration any advantages the Ayre possessed in this area were virtually gone. (Some people will argue the merits of bi-wiring speakers and in some cases it’s true that there is very little to no benefit. But such is not the case with the B&W’s. They are specifically designed to be bi-wired.) One could argue that if the Ayre’s could be bi-wired to the B&W’s that they would regain their upper-band advantage. Maybe, but what the Classe’ system lacked in clarity and transparency it more than made up for in resolution and velvety smoothness of character. Norah Jones vocals (as well as the piano notes) on most tracks from her “Come Fly Away With Me” CD produced a slightly screechy bite that pinched my ears when played back through the Ayre system but was completely absent when played through the Classe’ system. These observations eventually lead to the following discovery.
I found during the course of these tests something that grew more bothersome to me as time went on with the Ayre equipment. I noticed that prolonged listening sessions with Ayre was somewhat tiring and almost fatiguing. I didn’t notice this at all with Classe’ when driven to the same volumes nor when driven to reasonably higher volumes either. At this level of hi-fi I don’t believe the listener should be subjected to this kind of torture. A person should enjoy spending more time listening to their system and not be preoccupied with the thought that too much time will eventually induce too much whine. This more than any other weakness found listening to the Ayre was a major concern of mine. Perhaps the forward nature of the Ayre integrated amplifier was culprit or maybe the over revealing (over sampling and up sampling) behavior of the universal player is to blame, who knows. Nevertheless, this issue alone would be a deal breaker for me.
As good as the Ayre’s soundstaging was it lacked some depth. Classe’ still exhibits some of the best depth of soundstage I have heard to date. Dimensionality was also somewhat skewed with the Ayre setup. This was mostly apparent with tracks from Dave Koz’ “The Dance” CD where the instruments seemed out of place with respect to the rest of the ensemble. Analogous to these observations would be the difference between sitting with the band in a recording studio versus sitting with the audience in a music hall and listening to the band perform on stage. While I appreciated the musical reproduction of the Ayre system to sound more authentic (the way the music was recorded) the Classe’ system sounded more natural (the way the recording engineer intended for you to hear the music). I also found the Ayre system to be somewhat forward in vocal presentations and with solo instruments primarily involving pianos, acoustic guitars and saxophones. With different speakers I might have preferred this but given that the B&W’s are already somewhat forward I found the laid back nature of the Classe’ system more complimentary.
I hinted earlier that bass response from both parties was very good. I was actually surprised by the Ayre given the integrated amplifier’s specifications. Still, the Classe’ system is capable of doing more with larger and less efficient loudspeakers and when bi-wired its superior quickness and tautness shown through. But more importantly, the Classe’ system portrayed more warmth in the upper bass and lower midrange registers than the Ayre did despite the way the loudspeakers were connected and this was evident from Norman Brown’s bass guitar tracks on his “West Cost Coolin” CD.
As impressed as I was with Ayre’s performance from a reviewer’s perspective I was never really moved by it from a music lover’s point of view. It rendered delicate musical notes as its namesake would imply but it didn’t draw me in. I didn’t feel the music embrace me to the extent that the Classe’ system did. I played Dave Koz’s “You Are Me, I Am You” many times before and it sounded very good when played through the Ayre system but it didn’t give me goose bumps. The Classe’ system did and it was at that very moment when I knew where nirvana lived.
Conclusion:
Overall I was pleased with the results the Ayre delivered but not to the point where I could express a sigh of satisfaction like “Ahhhhh…this sounds is wonderful”. It was more like “Wow, this sounds good”. To me hearing the Ayre was like hearing a very good rendition of a musical performance but not the original presentation. Does this mean that Classe’ is better than Ayre? For this test group, and for me, it does. Once the Classe’ system has more burn in time the weakness pointed out earlier will no longer exist. But was it really a fair contest to begin with? Wouldn’t the K-5xe and V-5xe or better yet the K-1xe and V-1xe be a more appropriate comparison? Well… yes, of course. But these weren’t available for review. Furthermore, according to the Ayre Regional Sales man, the differences between them lie in improved (and I quote) “detail, transparency, warmth and slam”. Given that the Classe’ system is already warm and can deliver slam with ease; the only areas of concern would be left in the details and transparency. I believe the top flight Classe’ Delta series system would be up to the challenge once it was fully broken in but even if it falters in this particular area Ayre cannot match Classe’s strengths regarding overall presentation, dynamic fullness and lush refinement, Ayre’s shared design principles preclude this. Ayre’s top-of-the-line pre-amp and amp are just a more refined combination of their integrated. The overall sonic characteristics are going to be similar through out the product line. The same holds true for Classe’s own Delta series line. Additionally, as you go up their line the associated costs go up as well and then the decision becomes simply a matter of personal preference, sans any cost advantages.
Given that the C-5xe and AX-7e cost a fraction of the price that the CDP-202, CP-700 and CA-M400 do, would I find the former a better value than the latter? I definitely would. But then again this wasn’t a value based exercise. Again, once you factor in Ayre’s the top-of-the-line components any price advantages (value) to be had are quickly diminished. I was able to get a Classe’ system for much less than a comparable system from Ayre would have been possible. Couple this with my preferences for Classe’s look and feel, not to mention that their laid back sound blends better with the B&W's and the choice becomes very clear.
I could be happy living with either Ayre or Classe’ for their musical qualities alone but some concerns I had with Ayre, both in appearance and listening enjoyment, would have a major influence on my decision to choose one brand over the other, again cost not withstanding. In the end I have no regrets with the decision I made. Both systems truly constitute what high-end hi-fi is all about and I believe anyone would be proud to own either one, trade-offs and all.
Purpose:
You are probably wondering why I would even bother to demo another brand so soon after purchasing a "state-of-the-art" Classe' Delta series (two-channel) system. Well, for the same reason why others with a passion for this hobby would do it, to see if I discovered musical nirvana over the hi-fi rainbow. Maybe you are also wondering if reaching the mythical goal is even possible. Well... if you stick to the strict meaning of the word then yes, I do believe it is possible to reach musical bliss. This leads us to the topic at hand and a question in search of an answer "Is Classe’ nirvana?"
Why compare with Ayre? Well, why not? Ayre has earned an admirable reputation in the hi-fi community and garnered a lot of attention of late primarily due to the release of their relatively new and highly acclaimed universal player the C-5xe. In addition, while many other high-end solid-state equipment manufacturers continue to invest in integrated circuitry and surface mount technology, Ayre has decided to take a throw back approach of employing mostly discrete devices in overly simplistic designs. I thought a match up between "old country" and "new territory" would make for some interesting revelations.
Setup:
This exercise has been the most laboriously involved and it has utilized the most controlled testing environment that I have conducted to date. I spent approximately 20 hours listening to both systems over a four day period. Each setup was configured to use the same speakers (B&W 803S's), the same speaker cables (Kimber Kable Monocle’s) in a non-bi-wired fashion, and in the same environment. Each component was joined using Kimber Kable HERO XLR (balanced) interconnects. Each system was metered to play at the same volumes which typically ranged from 66dB to 86dB (non-reference levels) from the listing position (12 feet away from the loudspeakers). Nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, else was altered in the system or within the surrounding environment other than moving the speaker cables to connect from one system to the other. The same music was played on both systems and listened to from the same location. The equipment used for this review was Ayre's C-5xe universal player and AX-7e integrated amplifier (the 1 and 5 series pre-amp and amp were unavailable for this review, comments to follow) and from the Classe' side was the CDP-202 CD player, CP-700 pre-amplifier and CA-400 monoblocks.
Build:
While I found both Ayre pieces to be solidly built I didn't care for the nut and bolt protrusions that graced their bellies. Furthermore, I am a detail freak. Apparently the guys at Ayre don't have an "eye" for detail which is unlike the guy's at camp Classe'. All three Classe' pieces shared similar exterior dimensions, utilized identical parts including screws, covers and chassis and were assembled to seamless perfection that included smooth surfaces which showcased the attention that was obviously paid to detail. If it weren't for the similar facial cosmetics shared between the two Ayre pieces one could think that they were made from two totally different companies. I also didn't care the tint Ayre used for their aluminum surfaces nor did I like the user interfaces and displays and somewhat clumsy remote controls. Classe' on the other hand was far more elegant in overall appearance having utilizing a good balance of blacks and brushed aluminum surfaces and, unlike Ayre, user interaction was intuitive and consistent across all three components. Sitting next to Classe' the Ayre looked faded and dated.
Sound:
I approached this review as I do every review. First, I take a macroscopic approach. I look for overall sound staging, dimensionality, imaging, tonal balance and dynamic range. Then from a microscopic point of view I focus on the performance of the individual drivers and the crossover network. I look for high level details and transparency, midband presence and clarity, and finally low level extension and impact.
First, a few comments about background noise and noise floor observations. I noticed that the AX-7e produced a low level hum that, in a quite room such as mine, was clearly audible a few feet away whether the unit was on or off (placed in standby). Neither of the two Classe’ mono’s I had made a hint of noise, they were dead silent. If it wasn’t for the blue light that said they were on I would have mistaken them for being complete powered off. On the other hand, the Ayre system exhibited virtually no or very little speaker noise, at normal volume levels (no signal was present) but the Classe’ system did. However, the noise was held at a constant level all the way through to about 90dB (readout from the display) before it began to increase. Unlike the Classe’ system, the speaker noise coming from the Ayre continued to increase linearly as volume increased. At normal listening levels the Ayre was much quieter than the Classe’ was but once reference volume levels were reached both systems produced the same amount of noise.
After both systems were calibrated to the proper volume levels I began my critique with the Ayre setup. My first impression of the Ayre system was a good one, very good in fact. I found it to perform well on most of the above criteria. Soundstage width and height were proportional, imaging was first rate and tonal balance and dynamic range was spot on. Upper frequency details and transparency were remarkable, midrange presence was immediate and open, and lower frequencies well extended. When it came time to put the Classe’ system through the same paces I wasn’t left with a similar overall first impression. In fact, I found the Ayre to sound more polished (keep reading).
Utilizing the same CDs from artists such as Norah Jones, Marc Antoine, Fourplay, David Benoit, Brain Culbertson, Paul Hardcastle, Euge Grove, Dave Koz, Norman Brown, and Fleetwood Mac, I went back and forth between each system playing the same tracks over and over and dissecting the strengths and weaknesses of each system with the hopes of differentiating one over the other during the four day tour. It was a sobering moment that first day to learn that a system one third the list price of another was performing at the top of its game. But as time went on things began to change. I became more acutely aware of the two systems personalities and I started to notice things that discourage me from one system and things that appealed to me with the other.
The Classe’ system initially demonstrated the same level of detail as did the Ayre but with a slight bit of acoustical mist that covered the overall presentation. This was readily apparent on Paul Hardcastle’s “Serene” which synthesizes the trickling of broken glass. Ayre was almost Bryston-esq in its transparency. The Classe’ system also lacked some clarity and “air” that was noticed in the Ayre system. Oddly, I didn’t recall either of these weaknesses coming from the Classe’ system before I started these battery of tests, leaving me little dumbfounded at this point. Continuing on, I noticed both systems delivered good bass extension, but again it was a bit puzzling that the Classe’ system didn’t break out at this point. How could it be that a 400 watt monoblock performed no better than a 60 watt integrated amplifier (there are technical reasons for this that I won’t get into here)? I also found midrange presence slightly more open and “alive” with the Ayre than I did with the Classe’.
It wasn’t until later, around the third day, that I realized what some of the discrepancies and shortcomings were attributed to. It turns out there were a few things that were working in favor for the Ayre system while simultaneously working against the Classe’ system. First, both Ayre pieces were fully broken in, none of the Classe’ pieces were even marginally broken in, less than 10 percent to put a figure on it. Most high-end audio equipment requires time to be run in because of the discrete components they use (the manufactures will also tell you so). Classe’ requires a minimum of 300 hours and Ayre up to 500 hours. Second, much of these tests were conducted at low listening volumes giving the Ayre a slight advantage because the demands placed on it were designed only to exercise the system’s acoustical ability, not its power handling capability. There were a few times when SPL’s reached 100dB but they were few and far between, because I needed to preserve my hearing for critical listening. Needless to say, the AX-7e had the guts (the current) to power my somewhat efficient speakers to loud levels when called upon to do so. Finally, the Classe’ system was not bi-wired to the 803S’s for the purposes of these tests because Ayre amplifiers do not support banana plugs and only have one set of binding posts to boot making it impossible (for me) to test both systems under bi-wire conditions. Assuming that none of these so called limitations existed in this experiment; wouldn’t the Ayre still be better? I doubt it. In fact, the Classe’ system that started out the gate somewhat slow came on strong towards the end and eventually broke past the leading contender.
Up to this point I stated all of the things the Ayre setup did well and all the things the Classe’ setup didn’t but this is about to change. By the end of the test period, I noticed that while the Classe’ system still hadn’t reached the level of transparency and clarity that the Ayre exhibited from the start it did improve. And once I was able to hook the speakers back up in a bi-wired configuration any advantages the Ayre possessed in this area were virtually gone. (Some people will argue the merits of bi-wiring speakers and in some cases it’s true that there is very little to no benefit. But such is not the case with the B&W’s. They are specifically designed to be bi-wired.) One could argue that if the Ayre’s could be bi-wired to the B&W’s that they would regain their upper-band advantage. Maybe, but what the Classe’ system lacked in clarity and transparency it more than made up for in resolution and velvety smoothness of character. Norah Jones vocals (as well as the piano notes) on most tracks from her “Come Fly Away With Me” CD produced a slightly screechy bite that pinched my ears when played back through the Ayre system but was completely absent when played through the Classe’ system. These observations eventually lead to the following discovery.
I found during the course of these tests something that grew more bothersome to me as time went on with the Ayre equipment. I noticed that prolonged listening sessions with Ayre was somewhat tiring and almost fatiguing. I didn’t notice this at all with Classe’ when driven to the same volumes nor when driven to reasonably higher volumes either. At this level of hi-fi I don’t believe the listener should be subjected to this kind of torture. A person should enjoy spending more time listening to their system and not be preoccupied with the thought that too much time will eventually induce too much whine. This more than any other weakness found listening to the Ayre was a major concern of mine. Perhaps the forward nature of the Ayre integrated amplifier was culprit or maybe the over revealing (over sampling and up sampling) behavior of the universal player is to blame, who knows. Nevertheless, this issue alone would be a deal breaker for me.
As good as the Ayre’s soundstaging was it lacked some depth. Classe’ still exhibits some of the best depth of soundstage I have heard to date. Dimensionality was also somewhat skewed with the Ayre setup. This was mostly apparent with tracks from Dave Koz’ “The Dance” CD where the instruments seemed out of place with respect to the rest of the ensemble. Analogous to these observations would be the difference between sitting with the band in a recording studio versus sitting with the audience in a music hall and listening to the band perform on stage. While I appreciated the musical reproduction of the Ayre system to sound more authentic (the way the music was recorded) the Classe’ system sounded more natural (the way the recording engineer intended for you to hear the music). I also found the Ayre system to be somewhat forward in vocal presentations and with solo instruments primarily involving pianos, acoustic guitars and saxophones. With different speakers I might have preferred this but given that the B&W’s are already somewhat forward I found the laid back nature of the Classe’ system more complimentary.
I hinted earlier that bass response from both parties was very good. I was actually surprised by the Ayre given the integrated amplifier’s specifications. Still, the Classe’ system is capable of doing more with larger and less efficient loudspeakers and when bi-wired its superior quickness and tautness shown through. But more importantly, the Classe’ system portrayed more warmth in the upper bass and lower midrange registers than the Ayre did despite the way the loudspeakers were connected and this was evident from Norman Brown’s bass guitar tracks on his “West Cost Coolin” CD.
As impressed as I was with Ayre’s performance from a reviewer’s perspective I was never really moved by it from a music lover’s point of view. It rendered delicate musical notes as its namesake would imply but it didn’t draw me in. I didn’t feel the music embrace me to the extent that the Classe’ system did. I played Dave Koz’s “You Are Me, I Am You” many times before and it sounded very good when played through the Ayre system but it didn’t give me goose bumps. The Classe’ system did and it was at that very moment when I knew where nirvana lived.
Conclusion:
Overall I was pleased with the results the Ayre delivered but not to the point where I could express a sigh of satisfaction like “Ahhhhh…this sounds is wonderful”. It was more like “Wow, this sounds good”. To me hearing the Ayre was like hearing a very good rendition of a musical performance but not the original presentation. Does this mean that Classe’ is better than Ayre? For this test group, and for me, it does. Once the Classe’ system has more burn in time the weakness pointed out earlier will no longer exist. But was it really a fair contest to begin with? Wouldn’t the K-5xe and V-5xe or better yet the K-1xe and V-1xe be a more appropriate comparison? Well… yes, of course. But these weren’t available for review. Furthermore, according to the Ayre Regional Sales man, the differences between them lie in improved (and I quote) “detail, transparency, warmth and slam”. Given that the Classe’ system is already warm and can deliver slam with ease; the only areas of concern would be left in the details and transparency. I believe the top flight Classe’ Delta series system would be up to the challenge once it was fully broken in but even if it falters in this particular area Ayre cannot match Classe’s strengths regarding overall presentation, dynamic fullness and lush refinement, Ayre’s shared design principles preclude this. Ayre’s top-of-the-line pre-amp and amp are just a more refined combination of their integrated. The overall sonic characteristics are going to be similar through out the product line. The same holds true for Classe’s own Delta series line. Additionally, as you go up their line the associated costs go up as well and then the decision becomes simply a matter of personal preference, sans any cost advantages.
Given that the C-5xe and AX-7e cost a fraction of the price that the CDP-202, CP-700 and CA-M400 do, would I find the former a better value than the latter? I definitely would. But then again this wasn’t a value based exercise. Again, once you factor in Ayre’s the top-of-the-line components any price advantages (value) to be had are quickly diminished. I was able to get a Classe’ system for much less than a comparable system from Ayre would have been possible. Couple this with my preferences for Classe’s look and feel, not to mention that their laid back sound blends better with the B&W's and the choice becomes very clear.
I could be happy living with either Ayre or Classe’ for their musical qualities alone but some concerns I had with Ayre, both in appearance and listening enjoyment, would have a major influence on my decision to choose one brand over the other, again cost not withstanding. In the end I have no regrets with the decision I made. Both systems truly constitute what high-end hi-fi is all about and I believe anyone would be proud to own either one, trade-offs and all.
)
The 5200 is still at the top of my list.
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