D'Agostino vs. Ayre

@tomic601 
Sorry for not responding, but I am in my busy season. I really am a gardener.
 I have don't have the CT Treo's, just the plain vanilla ones (from ctsooner). Moving from my DNA-1 with gold upgrades/RLD-1 to the Atma MA-1/MP-3 was like having a veil lifted. As I told Ralph, neither I nor my partner thought it could get any better, but it did- and quite significantly, and for the better in all manner. Like: Wow!
@Mrgoodtools,
I suspect your D'ag amps will give you as much pleasure as the Atma's.
Maybe a little differently, but in a good way. 
My DNA-1 is at SMc Audio for an upgrade to monoblocks (I bought a second amp). Steve and Pat know what they are up against and are accepting the challenge-Tube vs. SS. I,too, hope to find out.
@khrys , how do you get emoticons? My reply box doesn't offer it.
Bob

I've spent a good portion of the past 5 days listening and swapping the D'Agostino S-250 with Ayre MX-R Twenties in my system. The following is what I hear. 

The associated system is a Berkeley Alpha Reference 2 processor feeding the amps directly or thru an Ayre KX-R Twenty preamp. Interconnects are Audioquest WEL Signature or Synergistic Research Element CTS. Speakers driven are Wilson Alexia's and cables are Synergistic Research Galileo LE.

First let me say the Ayre and D'Agostino amps are more similar than different. They are more similar than Audio Research, Pass Labs, Atma Sphere, Krell, all of which I've heard in my system. So their differences are quite small. That said, they are not the same, but differ throughout their presentation.

In the bass, the D'Agostino amp is both meaty and exercises control in the low frequencies. The Ayre is a little more resonant and wooly. Advantage D'Agostino.

In the essential mids, the Ayre amps give an illusion of speed and clarity. The S-250 is richer and fuller. The Ayre images clearly interact within the speaker plane. The D'Agostino amp engulfs the listening arena. My wife made a solid comment. She said the S-250 is rich without being murky.

In the highs, I thought piano thru the Ayre's was the best solid state treble I'd heard. Until I heard the D'Agostino. Its richness extends into the highs with a purity and wholeness. 

One system concern with the highs. The Wilson speaker does not accentuate the highs and neither does the S-250. Combine that with the Spectacular Galileo LE's which also tip toward darkness, and the highs sounded a little subdued. I substituted a set of 7.9 ohm tweeter resistors for the stock 9 ohm set, which should increase the tweeter output by about .5-.6 db. Perfect. The sparkle in the highs returned with flawless integration with the mids.

When I think Ayre, I think clarity, speed, resolution. When I think D'Agostino, I think musical integration. 

So, the verdict, to me, in my system, is that I prefer the harmonic richness and overall musicality of the D'Agostino S-250. I also found no channel separation issues that would make me wish for mono amplifiers.

One negative of the S-250 being a stereo amplifier, is the lack of space on the rear to accommodate large, thick audiophile cables, interconnects, and a power cord. I made it work, but it wasn't easy.

Great review imgood.
I, too, dislike having to manhandle my power cords and interconnects. Though some of the blame should be directed at the cord and cable manufacturers. Why make something so unwieldy that it will not be able to used?
Considering the price differential, don't you think the Ayre a worthy competitor.
Bob

Absolutely. I'm a huge Ayre fan. I preferred the MX- R Twenties to Many other amps, both solid state and tubed. Just, in this case, and in this system, I prefer the D'Agostino S-250 to the Ayres. The differences aren't huge, but they are significant.

Great review Mr Tools. I was frankly surprised. I thought you'd prefer the precision and inciveness of the Ayre's vs the organicisity of the the D'ags. Especially on such randomly ported speakers like the  Alexias. With no disrespect but these speakers are compromised derivatives. The Alexxes and Yvettes are Wilson's forward thinking. And great speakers. The Alexia's are the bloated deathnell of the the  Watt/Puppy dynasty. Get some high powered tubes ASAP.