AYON CD-5s

MJ14.03.2013

Digital sources

The Ayon CD-5s is not a revolutionary different CD player from Ayon CD-07s which we used as a benchmark. However, its topology and component base are fine tuned to perfection plus a bit of high-end attractivity is thrown into the mix, like its red-lit push buttons. And it makes more beautiful music.

100% reference

Function and form

90%

Ease of use

77%

Sound

93%

Appearance

The procedure of inserting a disc requires a bit more attention as the disc spins under a aluminum-polycarbonate clamp. I have to applaud to the big red segments of the player’s display that are readable from quite a distance and dimmable according your wish.

The CD-5s is not only a high-end CD player but it is also an excellent tube preamplifier. The solution that puts both the player and the preamp in one chassis (also applied by Swiss Nagra, for example) yields shorter signal paths, definite subsystem synergy and it saves your money too. The rear panel hosts extended connectivity options therefore – additionally to what can be found at the CD-07s there are optical and AES/EBU digital outputs, another two pairs of RCA and XLR outputs and a switch that toggles the player’s phase between 0 and 180°. Far enough for the CD-5s to become a mastermind of any decent audio system.

The CD-5s‘ remote is a really heavy slab of polished metal that is way too bulky and way too heavy to be pleasant and safe to use due its slippery nature.

Bass management

Weight

Slam

Articulation

The CD-5s preserves the subterranean bass, soundstaging capabilities and the fluid magic of its cheaper sibling and adds a lot on top of that: transparency, detail and better balanced frequency spectrum. When I listened to Wagner's Parsifal through the CD-5s it was evident that the bass, though not as voluminous as with the CD-07s, is better proportioned with the midrange,or inversely, that the bass of the CD-07s was too prominent. By putting all the octaves in right proportions the recordings can suddenly show up the details that were masked or supressed before. A whirling small drum strokes are now nicely delineated, the mass of a gong is ringing with reverberation and the hit of a mallet lets you hear its wood on metal nature.

Clarity & delicacy

Detail

Air

Transparency

Dynamic contrasts are also where the CD-5s outperforms the CD-07s with ease. The flagship player can work with higher dynamic reserves, it is more relaxed and in control. Due to the finer microdynamical resolution recordings shine with inner light and a new level of realism. The horns around 8´mark are brilliant and more brassy, the mallets on a drum skin vary in their transient pitch and the members of the choir are more flash and bones rather than just disembodied voices.

Tonal accuracy

Timbre

Dynamics

Temporal resolution

The extra heaviness may be welcome in lesser digital systems. The CD-5s outperforms the CD-07s in the bass precision and inner proportions, yet it continues to be a fundamentally excellent bass performer. The higher level of control helped the quarter-tone guitar from Through The Shadows improve its definition and the details like fingers and the interaction between the guitar and the studio appeared. This is basically what one expects from a high end player, right?

Spatial resolution

Holography

Soundstage width

Soundstage depth

The flagship also uses the R-core transformers, there are 3 separate feeds for the transport and the digital and the analog stages, all the parts are hand-selected to fit within drastic tolerance limits and the power filtration is of a higher sophistication. The CD-5s uses Russian military 6H30 triodes that are valued for low noise and overload resistance, the rectifier part uses four 6C4Ps. The ceramic sockets were upgraded to Teflon ones.
According my information the CD-5s‘ USB input should support reading 24bit/96kHz which extends the player’s playback options by using it as a high resolution DAC.

The CD-5s employs Philips’s professional CD-Pro 2 transport (it is unbelievable how long it is on the market, still unbeatable) that is not mounted to the upper lid, rather it is elastically decoupled from the base by means of springs. This solution makes the player less vulnerable to mechanical resonances and should improve the data reading process.

Price as reviewed:200 000,- Kč

Recommended resellers

Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078

Manufacturer's website: http://www.ayonaudio.com

Associated components

CD players: Ayon CD-5s, Ayon CD-07s, Accuphase DP-400
Amplifiers: Accuphase E-460, Luxman L-505uX
Interconnects and speaker cables: Atohm ZEF, Homegrown Audio DNA, Vincent Power Premium
Loudspeakers: Usher Dancer Mini Two DMD

Gallery

91%

AYON CD-5s

Recommended resellers

Nisel SK, Bratislava, tel. +421 905 203 078

Sound

77%

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