kurt,
if you really wanna hear the dart shine at its best listen to it with an speakers that have a powered woofer. As good as the wp7 are, once I got the evolution acoustic mm2 speakers with the dart it became capable of providing all the bass response you would want. I also used to own the lamm 2.2 and am telling ya that the dart combination with the right speakers is magical. I just listened to art pepper sacd and it felt like you were hearing it in a wonderful small club. Props for the playback design cd player for also bringing all the yumminess of the recording alive. For something different, I played the Who Quadrophenia lp, not the better mastered versions either, on a inexpensive technics turntable and it truly rocked.
I have also not heard the ayre so given its reputation it may well be pretty special too but nothing I have ever heard in solid state for jazz or rock listening compares to the dartzeel in the midrange (where most of the recording is) when properly setup. Unfortunately, the dartzeel is expensive and fussy about setup so those are drawbacks. But, if you are patient and can drop some serious coin on the dart combo and the right speakers, I doubt anyone listening to jazz or rock would be anything less than positively thrilled.
if you really wanna hear the dart shine at its best listen to it with an speakers that have a powered woofer. As good as the wp7 are, once I got the evolution acoustic mm2 speakers with the dart it became capable of providing all the bass response you would want. I also used to own the lamm 2.2 and am telling ya that the dart combination with the right speakers is magical. I just listened to art pepper sacd and it felt like you were hearing it in a wonderful small club. Props for the playback design cd player for also bringing all the yumminess of the recording alive. For something different, I played the Who Quadrophenia lp, not the better mastered versions either, on a inexpensive technics turntable and it truly rocked.
I have also not heard the ayre so given its reputation it may well be pretty special too but nothing I have ever heard in solid state for jazz or rock listening compares to the dartzeel in the midrange (where most of the recording is) when properly setup. Unfortunately, the dartzeel is expensive and fussy about setup so those are drawbacks. But, if you are patient and can drop some serious coin on the dart combo and the right speakers, I doubt anyone listening to jazz or rock would be anything less than positively thrilled.