Chashas1 et al:
My Ayre, Amadeus, and Basis analog setups all sound quite different from each other. The cartridges and arms for each are all different, and each is in its own system, much to my wife's chagrin. As you know, individually and especially collectively, those accessory and system differences pretty much preclude valid A/B comparisons. With that said, my favorite is the Ayre, it just does everything right for me. The Amadeus is a close second, bettering the Ayre only in bass response and sonic value per dollar spent. The Basis is a pretty close third. It has the darkest background of any of the three setups.
From an esthetics perspective regarding materials and construction, the Ayre and Basis are just superb and score very high in the "all-important" eye candy category. The Amadeus seems to be at least as well built as a Rega, and I find its look to be eclectic, even without the golf ball!