CD / SACD players and transports — Ayon Audio Ayon CD-35 II HF

The Ayon CD-35 II HF is a limited edition tube CD player and DAC from Ayon Audio, restricted to 35 units worldwide with one unit built per month. Ayon pairs a fully balanced PCM-DSD DAC with a new vacuum-tube output stage, a new magnetic clamp system with a separate CD lid and a new DAC design.

Key specs that matter

The DAC section relies on two AKM 4497EQ chips in a fully symmetrical layout, accepting up to 768 kHz at 32 bit and DSD 256. Ayon quotes a dynamic range beyond 120 dB, signal-to-noise ratio beyond 119 dB, total harmonic distortion under 0.001% at 1 kHz and a frequency response of 20 Hz to 50 kHz within 0.3 dB. Two gain settings are offered, Low with 2.5 V and High with 5 V, each available as a fixed level or as a variable level from zero up to that maximum. Output impedance is about 300 ohm on RCA and about 600 ohm on XLR. The case is 48 cm wide, 39 cm deep and 12 cm tall and weighs 17 kg, and it comes with a remote.

Engineering and use context

Ayon uses a zero-feedback, pure tube design with a tube-rectified power supply, and 6H30 and 5687 tubes carry the analogue signal. A slightly modified appearance with additional black elements sets the HF edition apart visually from the regular model. Parts selected for the HF edition include V-cap TFTF and Mundorf coupling capacitors, ceramic feet from Franc Audio, WBT-210 NextGen RCA jacks and 2-watt tantalum resistors in the tube output stage, and Ayon states that all important components are matched to within 1%. A switchable PCM to DSD converter is available as an optional DSP module. Digital connections include an S/PDIF input and output on RCA at 75 ohm, plus inputs for BNC, AES/EBU, I2S, USB up to 24 bit and 192 kHz and DSD128, and three BNC sockets for DSD. This makes the player usable as a DAC for computer playback and professional DSD sources as well as a disc spinner.

Pairing

Balanced amplifier inputs can take the XLR connection at the High setting, and single-ended inputs work with the RCA connection at the Low setting. The variable setting allows a power amplifier to be driven straight from the player, with level set from the remote.

Alternatives

The standard Ayon CD-35 II is the regular-production tube CD player of the series, with a GZ30 rectifier tube and the same output impedance on XLR as on RCA.