Ayre CX-7 vs. Meridian G08 ?

I've been using my brand new CX-7 since Nov 04 and I enjoy every moment with it. It's a very analogue sounding CDP with no grain whatsoever. Its tonal balance leans towards the warm side of neutral, with smooth highs and excellent bass.

I've not heard the Meridian but if I were asked to choose one of them, I'll definitely go for the Ayre's. The Ayre's entire line up has received very very good feedback from many customers. The Ayre also has an excellent upgrade policy and very good after-sale service - that may be an important factor for consideration when making purchases.

Hope this helps.
Peter

Since I am in the market to upgrade I recently listened extensively to the CX-7 at my local dealer (he thought it would give me a sense of the Ayre sound since I'm interested in the new Ayre universal - which he didn't have at the time). The CX-7 was run through a VTL 7.5/Ayre VX-1(?), Goertz cabling and Vandy 5A speakers. To be frank, the sound was thin by comparison to my 588 (BAT/Nirvana/Parsifals). I listened to Hank Mobley, Vasser Clements, Bill Frisell, Oscar Peterson and Dire Straits. I don't mean to say that the sound was bad, it just wasn't nearly as well-defined as my Meridian: bass wasn't as deep or articulate, midrange wasn't as clean - but these characteristics might be the byproduct of system matching, quien sabe? I still intend to give a thorough listen to the new C5XE universal at the end of this month. As always, YMMV.

Peter and Isleander - thanks for your input. As further info, I am currently running an all tube conrad-johnson system (premier 16LS Series 2, premier 12's, into a pair of Maggie 3.5R's). I'm going to listen to both of these units withnin the next two to three weeks - I'll let you know my thoughts.