Ayre KX-5 preamp with V-3 amp

If you want to stay with Ayre, sensible given your other gear. I would reach to their newer products. The V-5 is a clear step up from the V-3. The K5xe is a great pre but, mated to a V-3, it might not be any better than the AX7e integrated which you might find for not much more than a V-3. The V-3 is fine in its own right but is bettered by the later models.

BTW, I highly recommend upgrading your QB-9 to the Twenty version.

I was looking for components for a secondary setup. My primary setup is comprised of Ayre QX-5 Twenty serving as a Roon endpoint via Ethernet, DX-5 DSD disc player, and P-5xe phonostage. A KX-5 Twenty preamp and VX-5 Twenty amp drive a pair of KEF Reference 1s augmented by a pair of Velodyne HGS-15s with SMS-1 bass management.

Absent a V-3, I think I’ll use Parasound for the secondary setup:  JC 1 monoblocks, JC 2 preamp, and JC 3 phonostage. That stuff has been sitting in boxes in the garage waiting for me to list it for sale. The setup will use the ultraRendu with LPS 1.2 and QB-9 DAC for Roon. I’ll talk with Ayre about upgrading the DAC.

dbphd
Good to see you here as always.  I will keep a look-out for a V-3 amp.
Happy Listening!

Oh, wow, might as well just use all that John Curl designed gear! Charles Hansen used to publicly acknowledge Curl’s influence on his circuit design, they were quite friendly on some of the forums. Could be interesting to compare the K5-xe and JC-2.