Ayre K1xe vs. Simaudio P7, P8

Has anyone compared a Simaudio P7 with a McIntosh C50 or C500? I know that the feature sets are different, but what about sound quality.

I have to run balanced and the Ayre is on my short list. Basically, the only other pre along with the Ayre I'm considering is a newer VAC renaiissance.

I listened to the Mac C50 pre-amp and the MC452 amp (all solid state Mac gear) and compared it to a bunch of different pre/power amp combinations, including the Simaudio P-7/W-8 combo (which I ended up buying), on Revel Ultima Studio 2 speakers. I found that the Mac gear had a different sound than the Mac gear.

I perceived greater "soundstage depth" and "space" with the Simaudio gear whereas the Mac gear sounded more "direct" with more "body" or "presence" to the music but less depth. Tough to describe in words but you'll hear a significant difference if you do the comparison and you'll probably identify your preference pretty quickly.

Funny, my Simaudio dealer sells both Mac and Simaudio and he said "If you like Simaudio, chances are you won't like Mac." - it comes down to what you prefer but the two brands are quite different in how they present the music.