Jeff Rowland

G.,
Slightly warmer is fine, I don't want to loose detail, imaging, or the three dimensional soundstage. I already have a PS Audio Directstream DAC; therefore I don't need the DAC card. If your suggesting the DAC card is as good as my DAC, I would just get the S2 continuum with DAC card, because I could sell my DAC and M525. I want to do what make the most sense to improve the sound, but I don't have an unlimited budget.

Via email, you stated :-
"Thanks for the Ayre K-5xeMP suggestion. How much is it? My current system needs more bass impact. I submit my issue is I'm using the DAC as a preamp and it acts like a passive preamp and I loose gain/dynamics. Everything else is fantastic...imaging, detail, three dimensional soundstage. Any suggestions? What amp and speakers do you have?"

"Hi Richard,
It's $3500 retail. JA/Stereophile rates it full Class A. I am using Bryston 28B SST and VA The Music speakers.
The Ayre will give you the gain/dynamics, bass impact and airy, transparent highs that you want.
The JR house sound including the power amps, is slightly dark with rolled off highs. Cheers! Jon."

Just to add to our email exchange above, you won't be losing "detail, imaging, or the three dimensional soundstage" with the Ayre. But with the Capri S2, you get less of these compared to the Ayre.

Jon2020,
Yes, I sent you an email and didn't "post" my question. If you feel the need to post my "Private Message", you should post all of it. In addition, I said,"The JR M525 is very detailed, I compared it to a bryston 4bsst2 and parasound A21...both had more bass impact, but not the 3 dimensional soundstage. My other option was to bridge the 525, but I'm concern about the impedance of my speakers.
I'm confused, I read glowing comments from you regarding the Capri?" Because I can't listened to everything, I post questions to provide food for thought and then I make my decision. I'm not into trashing or glorifying one company over another. Audio is subjective and I've learned there are no absolutes in audio. Thanks for your feedback.

Didn't expect this at all.
My apologies, Ricred, if I have unintentionally offended you. I have posted what I thought were relevant parts of your message only for the benefit of others following this thread. I was not trashing one product in favor of another. I was merely relating my personal experience with the Capri S2 vs Ayre K-5xeMP. Yes, audio indeed is very personal. The usual "to each his own", then.
Good day ahead. :)

Hi Richard, the universal "true truth" non existing in audio, the ultimate beauty for one person is sometimes "not my cup of tea" for another one.

So for example, while Jon feels that the Rowland sound is somewhat dark and rolled off at the top while AYRE is extended and thusly preferable, I feel that Rowland yields my preferred kind of extended range and extreme musicality, while I perceive AYRE to be excessive in its highlighting of treble, and in fact can't listen to AYRE for more than a few minutes at a time.

Who is right and who is wrong... No one really... It depends on how we perceive sound and what turns into greater beauty in our mind.

Concerning removal of detail, I fear that any preamplifier you place in the chain is of necessity a compromise: it will inevitably remove microscopic amounts of detail, and is bound to modify the sound in some way. The issue that one needs to address is... Does the change of a particular preamp enhances your experience of beauty in sound, or overall does it detract from it?

And sometimes... Does the house sound of manufacturer "A" meet your conception of nirvana more than manufacturer "B", or viceversa, or... none of the above?

G.