I own the AMR DP777 and I have been burning in an Ayon CD5s since last Friday eve (6/1/12). My initial thoughts concerning the Ayon is that it is a very musically satisfying device. I really like it quite a lot. The preamplifier section is quite special and I think one would need to spend in excess of $10K to really begin to compete with it. The build quality is exquisite as well. Now if you spin discs, have a music server and need an excellent preamp this is the unit for you. This is not the type of sound you would get from gear such as the Weiss Minerva, the Ayon sounds fluid and dynamic at the same time. It does NOT dance on the razors edge of detail.., but it will cause one to forget the equipment and simply enjoy the ride. Is it worth $11.5k? IMHO..., YES!!! you gain real-estate by not having so many boxes and you save money on power cords and interconnect (not to mention how terribly difficult it is to find a good preamp). As one who has had the Allnic 3000L (that is the renamed Allnic with the MKII transformers if memory serves) I can say WITHOUT RESERVATION that the pre section in the Ayon handily dispatches that USD $11K standalone preamplifier. The USB input is also very very very good, I would not buy an outboard usb adapter. I have owned the M2Tech hiface/EVO, KingRex UC192w/outboard PS and the King of them ALL the Sonic Weld Diverter HR, so I know of what I am writing. The Sonic Weld was better than all of them with the KingRex coming in second place. I would rank the built in usb on the Ayon at the level of the KingRex with the ver 6 firmware and the optional outboard linear power supply.
Strictly as a CD player I found the Ayon again to be supremely musical..., again not the last word in detail but extremely effective at conveying the musical gestalt. It is a superior piece of audio gear. I my former Dynavox Dynastaion 2 was more musical; but even then the two are like kissing cousins so-to-speak or rather so-to-write :)
As you may have gleaned by now I really like the unit and consider it one of the best digital pieces I have been privy to spend time with.
Considering the Concert Fidelity dac, as much as I love their absolute world class line stage (which is better than the Ayons linestage but is also USD $24K) I was never impressed by the dac. It always came across as thick and opaque sounding to my ears, not harsh or irritating, just not enjoyable. I could see how a person with a leaner sounding system might really enjoy the CF dac..., but I think the Ayon is quite simply 2 classes above that unit.
The AMR is my dac of choice and while I do think the preamplifer section in the Ayon is superior to the buffered attenuator in the AMR, I find that the USB and the dac in the AMR DP777 is superior. The AMR offers a level of intimate detail while staying ever musical that the Ayon can't quite muster up to. Also I found the usb input of the AMR to be actually better than feeding the Sonic Weld Diverter HR and then having that unit send the spdif signal.
Comparing the AMR and Ayon using my Music First Audio Reference TVC as the attenuator I find that the AMR is the superior sounding device.
If you are going to drive your' amps directly and you still spin physical media AND you want a one box solution...the choice is easy.., buy the Ayon CD5s. On the flip side, if you want to beat the internal preamp in the AMR and come out at about USD $10K buy the AMR DP777 and the First Sound Presence Deluxe MKIII and you will have a superior sounding front end BUT no cd transport.
Anyway I hope this helps someone, it is a great sounding CD player and one could not go wrong with the unit. I am currently enjoying the unit sitting atop my Halcyonics Silencer which DOES make it sound all the better.
