Building a music server with Ayre DX-5

Kal,

How do you like the Audioquest?

Ed

The Audioquest works fine.

Kal

What are everyone's thoughts on the Ayre DX-5 using the USB input? How does it compare to older ayre products or other digital sources you have used? Soundstage, tonality, imaging, organic versus analytic? Thanks.

Sherpa,

My DX-5 is still breaking in, but right out of the box it killed my Ayre C-5xe and bettered my Exemplar Denon 5910, which had bettered everything else I put it up against until the DX-5. It really narrows the gap between vinyl and digital. My vinyl rig is SME 20/2 - Graham Phantom - DV XV-1S - Allnic H-3000 phono stage. With a well-recorded redbook CD, it comes pretty close to the vinyl and with a well-done SACD, it is closer still. While it is very detailed (very low noise floor), it is not at all analytic, but has a warm and realistic tonal balance throughout the range. I'm setting up a Mac Mini with 8GB RAM, SSD and a linear power supply to feed it ripped CDs. I have heard that rig feed the Ayre QB-9 in a system with the Ayre KXR, Ayre MXRs and Wilson Sophia 3s and it was awesome.