Audio Aero Capitole Classic vs. Ayon CD-2

I have a AA Capitol Classic SE and an Ayon CD-5. I have compared them side by side for several months.

I always like the AA better. It is smoother and has more air around the voices and instruments. It has a delicateness and a inner-soul that the Ayon does not have. True- the Ayon is slightly more dynamic and slightly more transparent- but not by much. The air of the AA and the rythmic musicality in my opinion are superior than the Ayon CD-5. I like it better overall

Your comments are interesting Tzvir. I just a-b-a tested this player against my CD-5 with another audiophile and I felt the AA was more rolled off & less extended, had a 'veil' over the music & had bloated midrange. We both agreed the Ayon had better soundstage and sounded more accurate and detailed. The AA was certainly rythmic, though to me instruments sounded more accurate on the Ayon. A cymbol sounded like a cymbol, a snare drum had palpability & an oboe in the right of stage sounded eerily believable and placed accurately within the stage. All will form different opinions based on their ear and system. This is just mine..

I agree- the AA does have more of a veil and is less detailed. It is without a doubt less accurate than the CD-5.

However- I like that veil. it is not a dark veil- rather a delicate very properly applied veil. That veil in my opinion is the soul of the AA. That veil is what makes the AA sound so delicate, soft and engaging. it is what pulls me into the music. The AA is an emotional machine. The Ayon is certainly not a pure intellectual machine- it is a hybrid emotion/ intellect machine. I guess it depends where your tastes lie.