The C-5xe is the finest Redbook player yet made. It has no need to "upsample" the input and therefore avoids "downgrading" the output. It just plays music. Though its SACD/DVD-A playback is SOTA these media have diminishing relevance and probably detract from its Redbook capabilities.
Ayre C 5xe Universal vs. Cary 306 SACD
Has anyone done a direct (as in same system), thorough comparison of these two players? If so, please let us know if you were able to compare their performance on both red book CD's and SACD’s and how it turned out. Some back ground about the setup, gear, music material, etc. would be helpful, too. Thanks.