well in general, the question what kind of distortion are you attracted to is certainly valid and reaches into the realm of the psycho acoustic, a rich vein as yet not fully mined.
Exactly!! Lets mine!!
The imperfect amp: Pass or Ayre?
There are two high end SS amp brands which, from a technical perspective, don’t do very well, which I am thinking of:
Ayre and Pass.
Pass has stated that even ordered distortion is euphonic. Ayre’s zero feedback, diamond circuit has a great deal of distortion compared to the very best measuring amps.
I have to admit, that like an IPA vs. a Belgian White, I have a very strong preference, but my preference is not canon. It is just how my wallet moves me. You should in no way feel like my tastes matter. Buy what makes you giddy with joy.
Would you, kind lady or gentleman, tell us if you have heard both, what did you think?? Is this to narrow? Would you throw another brand into the ring??
Ayre and Pass.
Pass has stated that even ordered distortion is euphonic. Ayre’s zero feedback, diamond circuit has a great deal of distortion compared to the very best measuring amps.
I have to admit, that like an IPA vs. a Belgian White, I have a very strong preference, but my preference is not canon. It is just how my wallet moves me. You should in no way feel like my tastes matter. Buy what makes you giddy with joy.
Would you, kind lady or gentleman, tell us if you have heard both, what did you think?? Is this to narrow? Would you throw another brand into the ring??
- ...
- 87 posts total
sure I have heard both and while I chose to own an Ayre VX-R in both the initial and then Twenty ( Diamond ) design, I think you might be missing the point a BIT...compared to many other components in the chain, amps are VERY low in distortion... Hi @tomic601 I'm not a scholar of either brand, but I thought they were relatively HIGH distortion? Here's an example: https://www.stereophile.com/content/pass-laboratories-xa25-power-amplifier-measurements Interesting that the distortion profile gets higher above 2k. The Ayre actually seems higher in distortion, though it is flatter: https://www.stereophile.com/content/ayre-acoustics-ax-5-integrated-amplifier-measurements |
- 87 posts total