Ayre CX-7 Evolution

Enter the Ayre Acoustics CX-7e CD player. The "e" stands for "Evolution" and represents an update to the original CX-7 that came on the market in late 2002. The technology behind the "Evolution" designation was derived primarily from power-supply enhancements, which Ayre calls "Dynamic Power." These were gleaned from Ayre's well-regarded C-5xe stereo universal player and consist of proprietary technologies used on the AC side of the power supply, including additional RFI filtering of the AC mains, increased peak current delivery, and filtering of rectifier switching noise.

The CX-7e's transport remains a DVS DVD-ROM drive, and the DAC chips are Burr-Brown PCM1738s. Ayre replaced the CX-7's digital filter with a new Xilinx FPGA. The people at Ayre obviously deemed these changes worth implementing, and they commendably did so without increasing the CX-7's $2950 USD price. The cost of the Evolution upgrade ranges from $300 to $650, depending on the age of the particular unit.

The CX-7e has both balanced and single-ended outputs, with Ayre decidedly favoring the fully balanced approach, which designer Charles Hansen considers one of the core principles of audio-electronic design. The unit's digital output is a balanced AES/EBU type, but Ayre can supply an adapter for coax digital output for those who need it. A switch for activating the digital output is around back and should be turned off for best sound from the analog outputs.

The sound of the Ayre CX-7e is lively, open, detailed, and engaging -- not shy or laid-back.

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Exclusive Ayre Minimum Phase digital filter.
Single-pass 16x oversampling.
Ultra-linear digital-to-analog converter with differential current outputs.
zero-feedback, fully-balanced analog circuitry.
Separate linear power supplies for both analog and digital circuitry.
Specifications
Frequency Response DC 20 kHz, +/- 0.25 dB
Signal/Noise 110 dB (unweighted)
Full Output 4.5 Volts balanced, 2.25 Volts single-ended
Dimensions (43.8cm x 33.7cm x 12cm)
Weight 25 pounds (11.5 kg)