T+A's new R 2500 R integrated amp

@cundare2 

My apologies for the tardy response. You asked what speakers I was driving with my original R2000. Those were KEF Reference 3s. I now have Sonus Faber Serafinos. The KEFs are good speakers and benefited from a fair amount of power. My room is about the same size as yours and at my normal listening level- I never wanted for more. But every now and then - when my wife wasn’t home, I played symphonic music at scale. It was only then I experienced this limitation. But the R2500 has significantly more power than the R2000 so perhaps not an issue for you.

FWIW - the R2000 never struggled with the impedance or difficult loads from the KEFs. I had two previous separate power amps in system at some point - a Parasound Halo and NAD Masters series. Both had more significantly more watts than the R2000, but didn’t sound nearly as good but it’s also fair to note there were other preamps involved too. Regardless, I offer what I experienced and hope it helps. 

I’m intrigued by the new unit. I’ve got another building project about to start and this might be a good choice as I really do like the brand and engineering behind it. I was thinking the DAC200 with accompanying multiplayer and class D monos or stereo amp, but the R2500 might be just the ticket. Also under consideration would be the new North line by Sim audio. My local dealer who carries that line raves about it - but I haven’t heard it yet. Not quite all encompassing as the T+A unit, but still looks interesting. 

The Hegel mentioned above has a strong following and I understand it’s quite good. But, I’ve never heard or put my hands on a unit so I can’t be of any help to you there. And, because it isn’t carried by any of my locals shops, isn’t on my particular list.

I look forward to hearing what you decide and about your experiences. 

Best,

Ayre: Small American company run by passionate people, great engineering and build quality, great support (you can get a human on the phone), great sonics and reliability. European and Asian companies you will be dealing with a distributor, most likely, for any after sale support and questions, good luck with that. If you have a great dealer this can be mitigated somewhat.

@joc3021

Yes, I’m quite familiar with Ayre (the company) and hold its products in the highest regard.

As for T+A, after digging deep into the company from both product & business perspectives, I’m discovering that it’s a large, stable, outfit, with a robust global distributorship network; and is one of the leading sellers of high-end DACs in Europe. I bet you could squeeze all of Ayre into the conference rooms at T+A’s German headquarters.

One thing that’s bolstered my opinion of T+A is the fact that in the last few years, since hiring a prominent American executive to expand its presence in North America, it’s expanded from a single retail dealership to two dozen & counting.

Its products have also begun to garner an increasing # of jaw-dropping reviews, even from the likes of TAS & Stereophile, routinely scoring spots in Class A / Recommended Components lists. As good as the Ayre integrated is -- and I consider it to be outstanding -- I’m gathering that T+A’s R 2500 R (OK, at almost twice the price) is in a whole different class.

I’m still looking for first-hand experiences with T+A support since the establishment of its "T+A North America" distributorship & "immediate assistance" service organization in Canada.

So far, it looks like the company goes to great lengths to support customers. But even if this wasn’t the case, IMHO, it’s unfair to lump all "European and Asian" companies in the "good luck with that" category. E.g., on Mikey Fremer’s personal recommendation, I bought a phono stage from a tiny Spanish outfit that has for years provided outstanding support.

And remember that "European and Asian companies" is a very long list that includes the likes of ELAC, Tannoy, Philips, Ortofon, Dynaudio, MBL, EAT, Hegel, Devialet, Chord, Quad, Kuzma, Focal, Cabasse, and many more -- not to mention the huge array of Japanese audiophile manufacturers.

My point isn’t that all of these companies have a perfect track record for support. What I’m saying is that it makes you’ve gotta evaluate each one on a case-by-case basis.

In my case, I’m finding that T+A is highly regarded worldwide, Aavik is an unknown quantity in North America, and Ayre’s once-terrific support may today be in a state of flux (and not in a good way).

I’m still digging into T+A and, again, would value any first-hand anecdotes. But so far, I don’t see the type of red flags you’re warning me about.

T+A , Ayre and Aesthetix are always on my list. ;-) Have fun. Enjoy the journey.

Late-breaking news:  A colleague has suggested that I take a look at AVM's OVATION A 6.2 Master Edition integrated.  It's analog only and comes in at a borderline 42 pounds, but wow, it sure looks like a great candidate in other ways.

I need to investigate further.