Ayre ex-8 2.0 vs Bel Canto e1x

Please read the Stereophile review of the EX-8 2.0 integrated amplifier. For example, “With its pure treble, clear and rich midrange, ample low end, and coherence, the Ayre is the finest solid state integrated I've had in my house. (The EAT E-Glo is the finest tubed integrated.)

If you're auditioning integrated amplifiers near its price, it deserves an audition”. This is why I like Ayre products.

Please see link below:

https://www.stereophile.com/content/ayre-acoustics-ex-8-20-integrated-hub-da-integrated-amplifier

On Michael Lavorgna's Twittering Machines review of the Bel Canto e1X, he compares it against the Ayre. He did not find them remarkably different, but offers some insight between the two.

https://twitteringmachines.com/review-bel-canto-e1x-integrated-amplifier/

I don't have experience with the Ayre, but the e1X is a really nice integrated amp for the money that offers great sonics a lot of flexibility. Features like Tilt Control, various bass management capabilities, high-quality phono section and more allows it to integrate easily into a lot of systems. The Tilt Control and Bass EQ operated in the 64 bit digital domain are absolutely wonderful features to get the sound matching to your taste and room without any sonic degradation. Disclosure: we're a Canadian Bel Canto dealer.

What speakers are you proposing to drive with the unit?  That would factor into the decision.

I will be driving a pair of handcrafted French speakers Klinger Favre:

Klinger Favre audio -english version: Loudspeaker Studio 17 (klinger-favre-english.blogspot.com)

high sensitivity, low impedance, extremely neutral, relatively easy to drive.

I finally abandoned the Bel Canto e1x... impossible to demo where I live (France) and not yet ready to take the 'class D' turn.

I will demo an Ayre EX-8 this week-end alongside an Electrocompaniet ECI 6 DX MKII... in the meanwhile I have a nice bargain for an Ayre AX-7e (still under warranty). With the huge price gap with the EX-8, I can afford a nice DAC/Streamer as the one embedded in the EX-8 might be a little it limited.

Anyone compared the EX-8 vs the AX-7e when it comes to the analog part?

Thanks

I used the AX-7e with an Ayre Codex DAC to drive a pair of Harbeth SHL5+ for many years, When the EX-8 came out my dealer loaned it to me for 3 weeks. The EX-8 with built-in DAC was a dramatic improvement over ther AX-7e.  I compared the amp and DAC separately and each was better than the AX7e/Codex, individually and together. The DAC in the EX8 is much better than the Codex which is really good to begin with.

Eventually I went with the Aesthetix Mimas but the EX-8 was a very close second. The AX-7e is still a great sounding amp for a lot less money than the other 2 but if you are looking for better sound and the budget works for you the EZX-8 is a winner

I managed to listen to the EX-8 2.0 at my local hifi store, side by side with the Electrompaniet ECI 6DX MKII. I wanted to compare their streaming capabilities, but my dealer had a network issue and we could not access to Qobuz. We ended up listening to a Naim CD player connected to the unbalanced entries, with only 2 CDs available: Eric Clapton (Unplugged) and Roger Waters (Amused to death). The amps were feeding a pair of Magico A1 (amazing sound for their small size)

I don't master all audiophile terminology, but in short:

- The Electrompaniet sounded "muddy". Clapton's guitar sounded dull, upper frequencies were all but refined and mids/bass were somehow intermingled into a lifeless soup. Soundstage was narrow like stuck between the speakers and we switched to the Ayre after less than 10 minutes.

- With the Ayre, sound stage incredibly opened up and music filled the entire room. Clapton's guitar sounded like a real guitar, and we felt him sitting and playing in front of us. Water's intro in What God Wants was dramatic and the creaking door during the first minutes gave us shivers. This amp sounds really good. The only mixed feeling was about its bass that were IMHO lacking a bit of power and speed at least in my listening set up... and I could not listen to its internal streamer/dac but only to its analog part.

Class D is the future. I am moving away from tubes (X200) to the REF501S by Bel Canto.

I also have a GaN D Class arriving this week for audiotions.

 

 

Could be... I wish I could demo the Bel Canto e1x... but no dealer nearby has it on demo.

@jerryg123 — I’d be very interested in your impressions of the BC and Mini GaN amps. 

@soix absolutely will.