You ended up with Ayre, what are your speakers?

Ayre VX5 Twenty amp and KX5 Twenty pre-amp with B&W 805D3 speakers.

@jacahn  Now that is a really interesting combination!

I lurk way too often and don’t post enough, but this question inspires me to comment.  I am using a very old AX-7e with Klipsch Forte IV and against all odds, it’s an awesome pairing.  I’ve had several tube integrateds well into the 5 digits and while they were different/better in some ways, there’s just something so musical about this little Ayre integrated that I keep coming back to it.

A few caveats…I have a warm sounding dac (Metrum Acoustics Pavane w/DAC 3 chips) and a very well damped room, so that could obviously be playing to the Ayre’s strengths.  That said, the AX-7e’s strengths are coming through so pronounced, I’m struggling to find a reason to upgrade, even though everything in my system is more expensive and more recent.

By the way, I’ve had the AX-5 Twenty (great amp) and the VX-5e (great amp just a bit bass shy)…not saying the AX-7e is a world beater but for me, it keeps surprising me, even after owning it for so long.

Love Ayre - their products, their philosophy, their customer service.  Huge fan!

sandstone

Which Cerious (models) are in your loom?

Happy Listening!

@favresj, I completely agree with you. The AX-7e is a very, very under-appreciated piece of hardware. Moving from an AX-7e to the AX-5/20 is like going from 98.5% to 99.9% (IMHO). I'm not one for exaggeration or hyperbole - while the difference was obvious, I could have been continued to be extremely happy with the AX-7e (particularly since I had Ayre hardware the necessary crossover to use with a pair of Vandersteen Quatro CTs). Drive it with a CX-7e(mp) or a QB-9/20 (balanced) and you're got a match made in heaven.