Ayre introduces the AX-8 integrated amp
Disappointing to see that so much of the engineering of the integrated is actually the "digital hub" unit. In other words it's the QX-8 with a fairly low powered integrated thrown in to provide an all-in-one lifestyle solution. And *not* the baby brother of the AX-5twenty. More promising to see that Simaudio has come out with a 600i v.2 or MkII. |
@twoleftears, I agree the Sumaudio 600i amplifier looks very interesting. The Moon by Simaudio Neo ACE Integrated Amplifier-DAC-Streamer also looks interesting. The ACE includes a high resolution DAC with DSD decoding up to DSD256 and 32-bit/384kHz PCM. This units sells for $3,500 vs. $7,500 (??) for the Ayre EX-8 Integrated amp. Any comments on the Moon by Simaudio Neo ACE? I am considering replacing my Ayre AX-7e integrated and Ayre Codex DAC with a single amplifier and DAC combination unit. These Ayre units are used in a 2 channel home theater system and the EX-8 unit price is very expensive for my application. I am assuming the release date for the Ayre EX-8 integrated amp has been delayed and I am guessing it maybe released sometime in the 2nd quarter. I have no official information and am just guessing. |
Disappointing to see that so much of the engineering of the integrated is actually the "digital hub" unit. In other words it's the QX-8 with a fairly low powered integrated thrown in to provide an all-in-one lifestyle solution. And *not* the baby brother of the AX-5twenty.What information are you looking at? The AX-5 Twenty is, IMO, the baby brother of a KXR/MXR. I doubt they can sell that technology for much cheaper unless they use a completely different volume control . . . but then it's no longer a similar product. The EX-8 is supposed to be 100 W into 8 ohms, almost certainly doubles that into 4 ohms per Ayre standards. I think the way to look at it is as an updated (or, at least, replacement) AX-7 with an onboard "digital hub". That's not a product that interests me (I already have an AX-5) but I imagine there is a demand for such a thing. I'm more interested to see what they rollout to replace the QB-9. |
@beetlemania, Ayre currently sells the Ayre QX-5 Twenty DAC featuring the new ESS ES9038PRO DAC chip. The New Ayre 8 series DAC/streamer/headphone-amp will be part of the 8 series, as a successor of the Ayre QB-9DSD. I am guessing the Ayre QX-8 DAC will be announced when the EX-8 amplifier is announced. This is just a guess since I have no official information. BTW, I own the Ayre Codex DAC and like it very much. Please see: https://www.ayre.com/qx5.htm |
@hgeifman Yes, I know they announced the QX-8 months ago. It's been long enough ago that I wonder if they've changed any features
or scrapped it altogether. I would love a QX-5 but already crunched my budget with the AX-5 last year. I might at least contemplate a QX-8 if it comes in around $4K and promises a notable improvement over the QB-9. What I would really love is a QB-9 with QX-5 chip, clock, and circuitry. USB only works just fine for me. I have no need for volume control or headphone amp or 10 digital inputs. I guess many potential customers turned away from the QB-9 because it only did one thing but it sure does that one thing very well! |
