It is because we not only get great sound stage and a full bodied sound here, but also excellent dynamics. You know what a percussion heard from a distance of two meters sounds like, don’t you? It may kind of kill you with a sudden, instantly extinguished strike. This cannot be reproduced in a recording, as it is simply impossible, but it can be nicely suggested – and the MkII suggests it in a really meaningful manner. The sound of percussion elements from the Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio album, recorded using closely placed microphones, was so suggestive and natural that we can rarely find anything like it anywhere else. The MkII softened and rounded it a little. Its sound was a little more pleasant, and also less real, but the impression of being in front of a real instrument was unusually strong.

Finally, we can talk about bass. Not only can it be found here, but it is also strong and deep in the new version. Its medium range seems to be clearer, perhaps even more than in the MkI version. The whole range sounds similar with both devices, through its softness and fullness, as well as good beat, even though it is not hardened too much. It has better focus with the new player, but it still remains on the pleasant, real side of sound.

The older version of the player provides us with a softer and more velvety musical message, which can be heard with every recording. However, it is partly because of the slightly more blurred sound attack. Compared to other top-of-the-range devices, sound attack and decay are formulated equally precisely here, though the Gryphon Ethos and dCS Vivaldi, for example, do it in a different way, emphasizing the front of the attack more. The Ayon CD-35 HF Edition, i.e. the first version of the tested player, does not “enter” sound that hard, hiding the “rigidity” of the attack behind its fullness. These are two equal approaches to sound, but, let us repeat it, different ones.

The new version of the Ayon player moves a step closer to the abovementioned players, though it is still closer to the MkI and to emm Labs or MSB devices. Perhaps this is why its bass seems to be more condensed than in the old version, even though it is not so. I raised my eyebrow only while listening to albums characterized by higher compression and with a strong, electric, or even electronic bass, e.g. Aquavoice's Nocturne on the Master CD-R burnt for me by its mastering specialist, Marcin Bociński.