CES and AYRE

Irish:

I spoke with "Steve" one of the Ayre PR folks about two weeks ago about the Cx-7 I had on order. He told me a little about the new uniuversal player: It's gonna retail for $6000, and of course will be much better redbook than the Cx-7. They have 75 built and are awaiting delivery of additional parts. I can't remeber if these are spare parts or they ran out of building supplies. Anyway, he said they'll be shipping any day now.

Sammie,

Thanks for the update.

I heard the new universal player. In my opinion it is better than the D-1X.

It got a glowing, gushing, review from Wes Philips in Stereophile. One unusual thing about it is that it is a 2 CHANNEL universal player. It might be unique in that regard.

Cheers.

I auditioned the C5xe in my system when it first became available and I was mightily impressed as well. Listened to both CD and SACD and really enjoyed both formats. CD playback provided a wide soundstage with clear highs and a well-defined bass. I almost bought the Ayre but then a week with the AA Capitole II changed everything. But for $3K+ less than the AA the Ayre is a real bargain (if one can consider $6K a bargain). Hansen has a real winner in this cdp.