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An upgrade a long time overdue

I am thinking its time for some upgrades - like the whole system.  But its been so many years, and Boards like this have become so helpful and accessible, I am turning to the Pros as it were to seek some varied and hopefully passionate advice.  

Disclaimer - I tend to buy used as I have tastes that appreciate the A/B-class but have a D-class budget, so something that used to be $8,000 new that can be gotten for say $2200 now is right on the mark.  Of course it must still be relevant and likely remain so for the next couple of years.  But age doesnt matter otherwise....

I am currently running a bryston 2B (which itself was an upgrade from a Myryad T40), with a Cal Audio dac and dynaudio countour 1.8 floor-standing speakers.  this is the guts - i use a sony blue-ray player for the occasional movie, but mostly listening to music (which is all over the place, jazz, rock, opera, classical, etc, and more recently, the dreaded Pandora channeled through the phone and a input jack)

What research I have been able to do leads me to consider opening up the sound stage with something more mixed, like a conrad johnson pv14L as pre- and the ayre v5xe, and coming forward in the age of digital, considering something like the oppo 105 but i was also thinking the nad m50 / m52 combo instead of the oppo..........and lastly all this heard through (I'm thinking) vienna accoustics beethoven baby grands

so maybe the whole thing comes in at 8k - 10k?  can I achieve 80% - 90% of this for 5k? or less even?  Is my mixology fraught with disaster?  am I missing something obvious?  

i dont know what I dont know here so please weigh in 

thanks for your consideration and insights
jammer66
sfall
346 posts
 
"do you think the Vandy's are an especially good match for the Ayre? what makes them a better match for the Ayre vs something from Revel or Spendor or the VAs, in your opinion?"

In my opinion, I have yet to hear something better. Keep in mind that's just my personal opinion. We all have different tastes, and there's no shortage of good equipment. If you want to learn a lot about Vandersteen and Ayre, have a look at this. http://vandersteen.com//audio-perfectionist-journal

I've been wanting them to make these journals availiable for some time now, and they just did. Its the most complete source for Vandersteen setup and matching components availiable. Start with issue one and you'll be up all night reading.

"a couple of threads I read through noted good success pairing CJ tubed pre-amps with Ayre amplifiers.  what about the CJ ET3se with the Ayre V5xe?"

CJ is a great company and a personal favorite of mine. I have a pair of V-5's and a Premiere 18. There's certaintly nothing wrong with the combo, but I don't think its a natural paring like Ayre/Vandersteen. If you like tubes, Aesthetix is the way to go. I have a Calypso and when people ask me about it, I tell them if Ayre made tube gear, it would be like Aesthetix.

Someone above mentioned John for AC. Once again, I'm biased, but I really feel AC is the best audio store in the US. If you don't have a local dealer, call Vandersteen and tell him you need a dealer and want to use John. He'll OK it.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
I agree with the above comments to stop buying components. Start by finding a good match between amp and speakers.
jammer66 OP
10 posts
 
Thanks for all your comments guys - really appreciate it.  

I did some more digging around, sticking with the premise that I was going to upgrade (generally speaking)...Reading up on the research Sfall provided has been very interesting, but is taking time to get through given how much depth and content in there.  Really great stuff.

I've come up with some interesting observations and results of the reading and research into pairings, which I share here

Pairings and synergies that are appearing to "bubble up" as common (or should be considered as "favorable")....and in no particular order...and for fun.....I'm curious what the reaction will be to these various "system" combos....ie will the sound of #6 be worth 2x as much as #2...is there a clear "winner" based on your tastes....

1) Ayre Ax-5 integrated amp and Vandersteen 3A, or Revel Ultima Salon2 (price about $7k with the vandys, $12k with the Salon)
 
2) Primare pre30 with primare A30.2 for Vienna Accoustics Beethoven Baby Grand (price about $6k)

3) ARC LS27 pre with McIntosh MC275 amp and Tannoy Kensingtons or Sonus Faber Cremonas (Price est $11k)

4) BAT vk51se pre with Bryston 4Bsst and PMC (FB1i or OB1i)
(Price est. $9k)

5) BAT vk51se pre with Bryston 4Bsst and Dynaudio (S3.4 or Confidence 2s) (Price est $11k)

6) Conrad Johnson ET3se pre with Pass Labs x250.5 or .8 and Focal 1027S / Chorus 826 or Dynaudio C2 (Price est $10k with the Focals, $14k with the C2) 

7) CJ ET3se pre with Bryston 4Bsst and either PMC or Dynaudio, as these seem to pair with Bryston the best (nod to the Sonus Faber fans out there) (Price est $9-10k)

8) Rogue Super Magnum 99 pre with Parasound Halo A21 and Vandys, or Dynaudio (same as above) (Price est $7-9k)

9) Rogue Super Magnum 99 pre with Rogue Stereo 90, through KEF R900 or Revel Performa F206 (Price est $6k)

   

gdnrbob
4,458 posts
 
Well, now you are moving to a subjective rationale. IMHO, you will be chasing your tail if you base your upgrades on such things.
For me, I would find a speaker that you love (and hopefully a great dealer). From there, you can build a system within your budget. 
Again a great dealer will be a great guide to help you discover what you like. And, he won't pressure or demean you. If he does, look elsewhere.

 I encourage you to listen to all speakers, either in or way beyond your budget. That way you can see what is possible in a perfect world.
Then find something that comes as close to your ideal. Of course, no one likes  to 'settle for less', but at least you know you are getting the most performance for the least money
I hope this makes sense.
Bob
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,482 posts
 
I'm using Vandersteen 5A's with Ayre....haven't heard a better match.
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