I have not heard the Ayre CX-7 yet but did audition the Ikemi against the FMJ23, Cary 303,Metronome (forget the model), Marantz SA14 (on redbook)and Meridian 588. I preferred the Ikemi, especially with jazz, acoustic and vocals, it's a very smooteh sounding player. The others sounded too bright in comparison for my taste.
