Jolida JD-100 vs. Ayre CX-7E

Thank you all for your opinions. There is another twist. I was able to find a local dealer for Jolida where I live. I was almost ready to order it but he told me that they had too many problems with JD-100. He suggested Grant Fidelity CD-327A ($1000 Canadian dollars btw) player. He clams that it sounds much better than Jolida. Not sure what to do. Any thoughts on Grant Fidelity CD-327A?

I can also pick up a new Consonance CD-120 for $598.

If you have up to $2000 to spend then I would not consider anything new below $1000. I never had any issues with the Jolida or have not heard of many here having problems. Never heard of Grant Fidelity? I would stick with a mainstream or popular brand in case you want to sell quickly. Trust your gut and do some research. There are so many good CDP's used in the $1000-$2000 range. Ayre, Cary, Wadia, Raysonic, Muse, the list is great :)

Thanks Sam. I'll do some more research but it's tough when you can't listen to all of these players. I just want a nice musical CD player as all I do is listen to cds. I'm worried about purchasing a used CD player as I had a bad experience with my old Rotel.

I'm having a hard time justifying spending $2000 for a CD player as I'm planning to get a new amp and pre amp soon. I think $1000 for a new (or used) is more within my price range. Ayre CX-7E would come without any warranty, so I'm not going to get it.

I did audition Rega Apolo and Cambridge Audio 840C. They are nice players but I felt they weren't much better than my old Rotel. CA840C was more detailed but not as musical as Rega. On the other hand Rega was more musical but I felt it wasn't the right player for me.

I thought to try Jolida because of raving reviews everywhere. I hoped that a tube CD player will give me the sound I'm looking for. Grant Fidelity is a Canadian manufacturer but the player is made in China.

If you want to stay around $1000 the Raysonic is nice, has tubes and it's a top loader. I think I saw one for under a grand. Happy Listening

The Ayre CX-7e is an amazing Redbook player. However, I'm not convinved it's the right player for you. I say this only becasue I used to own a very similar configuration as you (RSP-1066, RMB-1095, N805s). The RSP-1066 is not particularly transparent for 2-channel. It's not a bad basic HT processor, but as a double-duty 2-channel pre-amp, it leaves a bit to be desired.

Also, the Ayre CX-7e really excels when used as a balanced source, into a fully balanced pre-amp / amp. If you dumped all of your Rotel gear, and went with an Ayre AX-7e / CX-7e configuration (with your B&W N805S's), I think you'd be in heaven. I liked my N805s, and I think the N805S's are much better.

I know my response (on the surface) goes a bit off-course, but (IMHO) you're trying to build a system, not a collection of components. Is the CX-7e worth a $1,200 premium. Yes. Will you realize all the benefits. Not sure.