Used Ayre amp market pricing

You'd be surprised how good the LS50s sound in the setup.  I have a setup that uses KEF Reference 107/2s and 204/2C driven by 3 Parasound JC 1s.  The stereo preamp in that setup is a JC 2 BP, surround processor a Bryston SP-3.  Sources are vinyl through a JC 3, Ayre C-5xeMP, Oppo 105D, and Esoteric SA-60 disc players.  The setup use a pair of 15" subs for surround and HT, but not for stereo.

Very nice set up. I did hear the LS50s and they do sound very good for the price performance. I really do enjoy the KEF sound.  I haven't heard many Parasound components but when I did they were solid.  The Vandy + Ayre combo is pretty special so if you haven't heard them together, I hope you get a chance.  Good luck in your hunt!

The Parasound JC 1 monoblocks drive the KEF Reference speakers with a sense of neutral authority, with fine detail and imaging.  The amps have sufficient current to extend LF to below 20 Hz.  Pairing the JC 1 amp & JC 2 preamp is often said to approach a straight wire with gain.

I've been using 20-watt Cary CAD 572 SE tube monoblocks as an alternative to drive the LS50s with surprisingly good results.  I look forward to pairing them with the Ayre preamp.

There is a dealer for both Ayre and Vanderstein in Santa Monica, a pleasant drive down PCH from Santa Barbara with only Malibu as a possible source of traffic.  So it's entirely plausible that I may hear an Ayre/Vanderstein pairing.