Ayre Acoustics

CX-8 CD Player

£5,950 RRP

In 2023, Ayre Acoustics celebrates thirty years in the audio industry. Born in Boulder, Colorado and founded by Charles Hansen – who designed loudspeakers for Avalon – the company has long since made a name for itself. Its mission has been to design and manufacture solid-state electronics that have, in sonic terms, valve-like characteristics. 

The product range comprises three tiers. The top end is labelled the R series, followed by the 5 series and on to the 8 series. The CX-8 under review is now Ayre’s only CD player; the first ones originated over twenty years ago and included multi-players with DVD and SACD capability, whereas this is purely Red Book CD and HDCD. 

UP CLOSE

In the flesh, the CX-8 exudes a suave and sophisticated feel and is well-proportioned at 440x330x115mm [WxDxH]. The minimalist front panel contains a simple but beautiful blue display, plus the smoothest and quietest CD loading mechanism I have ever seen, used or heard. The iPod-style control wheel is simple yet effective – no searching for tiny buttons on this fascia! The machine is built on a pressed metal frame that feels solid and weighs 6kg. The metal finish looks premium; my review sample came in black, but it’s also available in silver.

The rear panel is clearly marked and well laid out. It features balanced and unbalanced analogue outputs, with digital outputs via AES/EBU XLR and TOSLINK and coaxial S/PDIF. You can request to have USB and Ethernet ports on the unit to access the CX-8’s internal DAC. A firmware USB port and AyreLink connection complete the connectivity package. The manual is well-ordered and written without bombarding owners with unnecessary technical jargon. The sculpted plastic remote control fits well in hand but feels cheap.

Inside the CX-8 is where the magic happens. Designed, built, and tested in Colorado, most of its components are sourced within the USA. The smart modular design concept allows customers to upgrade to the latest version (firmware/software/hardware). Its output stage comprises fully balanced, zero-feedback analogue circuits with ultra-low noise regulators and discrete low-jitter oscillators. The DAC is no afterthought; the player uses the top-of-the-line ESS ES9038Q2M chipset to process the digital audiostream. Like most such designs these days, it can work at up to 24-bit, 384kHz PCM or DSD256.

For this review, I used Primare i30 and Mark Levinson No. 5805 amplifiers, plus a Primare CD31 CD player and a Bluesound Vault 2i streamer; analogue cables were Tributaries Series 8, speakers were SerhanSwift Mu2s on SolidSteel SS6 stands. 

THE LISTENING

The CX-8 majors on pace, rhythm and timing. Whether I played slow or uptempo music, it flowed from my loudspeakers in an involving yet unforced and linear way. This player also extracts oodles of texture, separation and depth from every recording – indeed, it reminded me just how capable the standard Compact Disc format really is. I tried to trick the CX-8 throughout my listening sessions, but it was always one step ahead of me, and every track was skilfully yet effortlessly delivered.

Tonality is spot on, devoid of glare or shrillness, and the bottom end is tight and well-weighted without being overpowering. Across the midband, this machine has lots of texture and depth – it’s very good at extracting subtleties and nuances. For example, with When Love Takes Over by Kelly Rowland, vocals were clean and sweet. With little bass energy on this recording, the midband came to the fore, with vocals and instruments showing super-fast attack and decay. The detail extracted as I listened to Rowland sing and breathe was beautiful.

With Father John Misty’s Chloe and The Next 20th Century both recordings left me smiling. The former reminded me of a nineteen-twenties soundtrack with keyboards and drums in unison. Rhythmic fluency again proved very good, even when things got tough with the more complex mix of the latter song. Soundstaging was a particular highlight, and I heard a satisfyingly expansive rendition of this song with a vast floating orchestral sound and silky vocals. Instrumental separation had me riveted to my seat, with everything laid out in front of me – from percussion and guitars to keyboards and horns. 

Although HDCD isn’t exactly a mainstream music format, I thought it was worth trying the Ayre’s special trick and duly dropped my HDCD of Knut Reiesrud’s eponymous album into the disc tray and pressed play. Sweet Showers of Rain via my standard Red Book Primare player had sounded good, with plenty of pace and a broad soundstage, but the CX-8 playing the HDCD version was on the next level. The soundstage was broader, and the recorded acoustic had more depth and height. Imaging was even sharper and the dynamics more striking; as instruments came in, they burst into life, then decayed gracefully. Also, the top-end detail was lovely, something that wasn’t so with the standard CD version.

HDCD isn’t a prerequisite for superb sound, as the Ayre can make great music with a standard Compact Disc. Hey Mama Keep Your Big Mouth Shut by the Peter Green Splinter Group was captivating. The CX-8 conveyed the recording’s laid-back vibe, as if I were there, which automatically relaxed me. Soundstage depth from this live recording was amazing, with musicians scattered about my living room in front of me. The driving drum kit and bassline were ever present, and the organ punched notes out with ease.

With vocals front and centre on Allison Russell’s Little Rebirth, the CX-8 did its stuff again and powerfully evoked the recording’s mood. Vocals had a depth and texture not extracted by my Primare CD spinner; they were multi-layered and almost honey-like in delivery, as the vocals flowed from strong and powerful to delicate and heartfelt. The overall effect was enchanting and improved even further when I planted the wood isolation blocks that come supplied with this player underneath it. Things sounded more grounded and life-like, as if I’d moved closer to the front row of the concert hall. 

In the great CD player scheme of things, it’s fair to say that the CX-8 sounds very neutral; there’s no mid-bass lushness, and the top end isn’t too bright, either. Its forte is the sheer level of detail it can excavate from silver disc, which makes for a more involving yet more subtle sound than most – including my aforementioned Primare and the previously reviewed Yamaha CD-S2100. There were subtleties and detail coming out of my speakers that had me skipping back and forth through tracks. 

Musically, then, the CX-8 is superb. It has speed to burn, a weighty yet taut bottom end and a finely carried, transparent midrange. Then there’s its deftness with the overall flow of the music – including the textures of the notes, how they are played or sung, and how they separate from others. It’s also particularly good at recreating the scale of the musical performance, something that became particularly apparent when I was using it with the Mark Levinson 5805 integrated amplifier. It’s the kind of machine that really starts to fly when used with high-end electronics and speakers with great precision and focus.

THE VERDICT

Ayre Acoustics’ CX-8 is an expensive silver disc spinner, but doesn’t play SACD. In markets such as Japan, this won’t help it win friends, but everything else about it really hits the spot. It may be pricey, but it more than delivers in the performance stakes – and demonstrates its value via its sound quality. I came away from my time spent with this machine with a large grin on my face from the great musical feast it served up. There’s no better testament than when your music collection feels new and revitalised. So if you are after a reference CD player, this is an essential audition.

For more information visit Ayre Acoustics