I've not listened to the Audio Aero, but I recently purchased the Ayon CD2, and I can say is WOW! It's like the musicians are right in the room with you. It's just a great piece of equipment, built like a tank, too.
One thing- if you want a tube CD player to do some tube rolling, don't get the Ayon. They use proprietary tubes, and tube rolling is NOT recommended.
One thing- if you want a tube CD player to do some tube rolling, don't get the Ayon. They use proprietary tubes, and tube rolling is NOT recommended.