How would you compare Ayre to Parasound?

I had the Ayre V5xe and also the Halo JC-1s. I think the JC-1s are better. They are more powerful and sound more relaxed and enjoyable. I didn't care so much for the Ayre amp, but I do love the Ayre K1x preamp. To sum it up I hear the JC-1s as being more relaxed sounding but at the same time more dynamic. They ought to be since it's 150 watts vs 400 with the JC-1s. I was comparing them on rather power hungry speakers but all in all the V5xe amp never really floated my boat, though I do love the other Ayre products and the company as a whole could not be better to deal with. Parasound I don't find particularly good to deal with compared with Ayre.

My experience was exactly opposite! I had the Parasound with 4 different speakers I was auditioning, and in all cases I felt like it was dull and unengaging. The Ayre is the finest non-tube SS amp I've had in my system, beyond the Odyssey Stratos dual mono and the Ref1000's - though I admit I haven't had any of the real expensive SS amps. To each his own I guess!

I've had the Parasound JC-1s and Ayre V-1XE amps in the same system. Both nice, but IMO, the Ayre was a better amp, and one of my favorite SS amps. Smoother and more texured. The Parasound was a little dry. I had multiple problems with the parasounds. I bought them new and both the dealer and parasound made good on each repair. I also had a wire come loose in the Ayre (which i also bought new) and they were quick to repair it. IMO the Ayre was a little more money, but worth it.

I've had a V-5xe in my system for about 5 years now and I too think the magic is missing (particularly in the lower region) however I'm reserving judgement until I can run in balanced mode. I've read in a few threads here that the Ayre should really be run in balanced mode to get the most out of it.

Before buying any Parasound product especially the JC1 amps read all the reviews about build issues ..Well documented in this forum.Given your short list..Ayre is a no brainer