Well here ya go ephemera. Totally opposite conclusions. I am currently running an Ayon CD-Tii transport with an Ayon Kronos. I have it connected 2 ways with high quality Cardas digital cables: 1) AES/EBU connection and 2) triple BNC (DSD L & R and Word Clock). The sound is highly detailed to my liking...however, the Kronos (+ Ayon transport) is significantly less edgy and analytical than the Esoteric K-01 xd se, Mark Levinson 519, and a dCS Bartok which I lived with for several months at a time in my system. The Ayon set-up is more 'analog like' than any of the digital systems noted above.
And there's the rub! Any particular piece of gear, and especially sources, will depend on how well they match up and synergize with the downstream components, from preamp to amps and to speakers (and cabling will also play a role). My TAD CR1 speakers were forward in emphasizing the sonic qualities of the Esoteric, Levinson and dCS. These playback components are not bad by any stretch....they simply did not match up well with my TADs, while I imagine they might play beautifully with Sonus Faber's higher end models.