Price Paid:  $2900.00 from Audible Elegance

Summary:
I have used a couple cd players with DACs such as the Cambridge Audio D500 player with the MSB Link III and Musical Fidelity A324 DAC with the Arcam CD72T player. Both of these above examples worked well and sounded great!

When I heard the Ayre CX7e as stand alone player without a DAC, I was amazed of how neutral the machine sounded. The midrange and treble frequencies are very smooth! The bass is deep and not boomy. I was also impressed with the inner detail the machine is capable of producing as well as giving me the "I am there experience"!

The stand alone CX7e sounds a bit more refined than my Musical Fidelity A324 and Arcam CD72T combination. Where the CX7E excelled was with the deeper bass and treble extensions. The midrange was a bit smoother too!

According to the manufacturer, this machine requires 500 to 1000 hours to burnin . Out of the box, this machine sounded fantastic!!! I can not imagine what it will sound like in 2 to 3 weeks.

I will provide a follow-up review in three months or sooner for a final review, but I am very impressed with this player that will provide me with years of listening pleasure!!!!!

Strengths:
Balance and Unbalanced options
Listen and Measure Mode
Bass Extension
Separation of instruments
Treble Extension
Midrange (Smooth, natural sounding vocals)
Fit & Fininsh
Soundstage is Great!

Similar Products Used:
Adcom 750 Cd Player as a stand alone
CD 72T with Musical Fidelity A324 DAC
Cambridge Audio D500 with MSB Link III DAC