Ayre Acoustics

CX-8 CD Player

Introduced 2019$6,500 MSRP

The Ayre Acoustics CX-8 is a Red Book CD player only — it does not support SACD playback — built around Ayre's zero-feedback, fully-balanced discrete analog circuitry and the company's Diamond output stage and Equilock gain stage. It is Ayre's sole CD player in current production and is modular, with optional USB2 (asynchronous USB, up to DSD512 RAW) and Net2 (Ethernet, Tidal Connect/Roon/JPLAY certified) digital input boards that let it double as a network-connected DAC and streamer.

MSRP

$6,500

Used market · Good

$4,700

-28% vs MSRP

as of Sep 1, 2026

Sell or trade this Add to my system

MSRP to used market

From $6,500 at launch to $4,700 today.

Specifications

Color: Choose an option Silver Black
Price: €6,180-6,790 in Europe (varies by retailer/date); £5,950 RRP in the UK; approx. $6,500 USD in the US
Weight: 6kg (13 lbs)
Options: Choose an option Base Add USB2 Add NET2 Full Clear
DAC chip: ESS ES9038Q2M
Dimensions: 440mm x 115mm x 330mm (17.25" x 4.5" x 13.00")
Analog outputs: 1x XLR balanced pair (4.5Vrms), 1x RCA unbalanced pair (2.25Vrms)
Digital outputs: 1x XLR (AES/EBU), 1x RCA (S/PDIF electrical), 1x TosLink (S/PDIF optical)
Price base model: €6,180-6,790 in Europe (varies by retailer/date); £5,950 RRP in the UK; approx. $6,500 USD in the US
Analog architecture: Zero-feedback, fully-balanced discrete circuitry; Ayre's Diamond output stage; Ayre's exclusive Equilock gain stage; linear analog power supply
Dimensions w x h x d: 440mm x 115mm x 330mm (17.25" x 4.5" x 13.00")
Disc formats supported: CDs (Red Book) and HDCD; no SACD support — this model is CD-only, unlike some of Ayre's older multi-format players
Optional digital inputs: Option USB2: 1x USB Type B asynchronous, up to 24-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD64/128/256/512 RAW; Option Net2: Ethernet (RJ45) plus 2x USB Type A for storage, up to 24-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD64/128 DoP
DAC digital architecture: Ayre custom digital clock; Ayre's Minimum Phase digital filter; single-pass 16x oversampling