need help regarding new Ayon spirit iii


Hiya all.. I am a newbie to this forum and need some advice on a new Ayon Spirit iii amplifier that I have purchased.

My old setup consists of :

Musical Fidelity A3cr Preamp and A3.2cr Power amp (130 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms);
Arcam Diva CD72 Cd player;
KEF Q900 speakers  (8 Ohms);
Marantz na6006 Streamer

I purchased the preamp/power amp and Cd player in 2001, and the KEF speakers in 2018. The Ayon Spirit iii amplifier is my first purchase of a Tube amplifier and I am mostly very happy with it, the problem I have is that my old setup seems to be significantly better in the pace, rhythm, and bass departments. This is causing me a little dilemma as the pace and rhythm of the old setup is very very addictive, I understand that SS excels in these areas and its grip/power on my current speakers is amazing, on the other hand the Ayon amp seems quite 'shy' in this regard.

I believe that the speakers I have are not a suitable match for the Ayon and this is where my issue(s) really begin. I have auditioned the Klispch Forte speakers and was initially very impressed but after a short time my ears felt very fatigued, which I found strange since a Emotiva 40 watt tube amp was powering the speakers. I was drawn to the Forte speakers because of it's high sensitivity and very positive reviews and I cannot find any other speakers which are NOT Horned based that have sensitivity above 93db. 

Can anyone kindly recommend suitable floor standing speakers that are above 93db sensitivity, are NOT Horned based, and NOT classified as Monitor speakers.

Also can any tube amp owner  (Ayon Spirit owners preferably) give me  some tips on how to get the best out of their amp (i.e. tube rolling and the best types of tubes to use) as I am a complete novice and feel a bit overwhelmed.

Cheers Guys and Gals









primarykey1
Hiya... that is interesting to know, once I get some decent high-efficient speaker I will be using to mode more often for sure, gonna check out the Reference 3A Episodes and De Cappo's that you mentioned but I live in New Zealand so not too sure about suppliers.

Cheers Buddy
Own and love Spirit III and Stealth DAC from Ayon. Match made in heaven! Also, VR-44 Aktive speakers with Tara Labs The 0.8 cables gave me everything I wanted with accurate bass to spare! 
Also, KT150 are real fire powers when I compare to my old Spirit 1 using KT88.
Couple of questions - are you listening in pentode or triode?  What are your issues specifically with the sound?  Can you offer more nuance?

Saying you don't like the PRaT and bass is sort of like saying I hate everything about the sound of this pairing. If you were happy before, are you sure you want new speakers or do you want to return that amp?  

Your Q900s are easy to drive at 91dB. It is not the SPL of the speakers that is the issue. With the right amp, 15w of power is enough to make them sing.  For instance, I use a 45w amp to drive speakers with an SPL of 84dB and gets loud enough to make my ears ring.  

The reality is tube amps, especially in triode mode are going to tend to emphasize the mids at the expense of bass which will get a little less refined and usually treble will get slightly rolled off.  PRaT typically improves with tubes at the expense of bass response.  

First test would be, turn the amp off and switch from triode to pentode.  Do you hear an improvement in performance in terms of bass and do you like the sound better with the exception of detail?  Pentode should give the amp better control over the speakers and will tighten things up and is great for home theater.  You tend to lose detail, especially in the midrange.  

Second test, use your MF Pre.  Attach your MF pre to the "Direct In" and see if you like the sound better.  This will bypass the integrated amps preamp stage and volume control.  

Third test, use the pre out on the Ayon and attach it to your MF power amp.  

I suggest these tests to isolate the issue with the Ayon as this will provide a separate evaluation of the preamp and power stages of the integrated.  

Use the same couple songs and listen in triode, pentode and these other two configurations.  take notes and decide what you like and dislike.  Then you can make a more informed decision.  

Do those tests and let us know what you think?