Used the Cx-7e...I wasn't so impressed with the Ayre, it was a nice piece, involving. I thought it sounded a little hollow compared to what I have now. Sounded tingy and pitched at times, no warmth. But the biggest characteristic I notice from that player to the combination I use now is detail. I get so much detail out of the Brick I am simply amazed. Today I went to a dealer to audition the Super 8's in an effort to get a more efficient speaker than my 804's. They hooked them up to some serious equipment. Nagra Pre Amp, Nagra CD player, Moon amp and so on...I gotta be honest, and I am the first to point out a weakness in my system, in fact I look for them. But I felt like my current set up in most ways, sounded better than what I heard today. I was with my friend and he agreed that he expected more, especially at those prices.
I also auditioned the Dynaudio Contour 1.4, and they were totally outperformed by the Super 8's. But in the end I am like the warmth of my B&W's, I know there is better out there, but I love the sound signature of B&W, it is what brought me into hi-fi.
I couldn't be happier with my set-up, so much so that I am upgrading to the Cosecant. Not because I am unhappy with the Brick-it is awesome! But I wanted a little more bass, and power, and the Cosecant matches my equipment better. Not to mention it looks great. Should have it in a month.
