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Attn: Ayre v-5xe owners


Hello,

There's been a lot of Ayre v-5xe amplifiers (two-channel 150 watts per channel) for sale on Audiogon over the past 3-6 months. Wanted to ask previous and current v-5xe owners what your opinion is of this amp. It seems that one recurring complaint is that the bass region is a little light.

Both reviewers and owners alike agree that the MXR monoblocks are expceptional, but most of us will only be able to afford the mid-priced Ayre amps such as the v-5xe. Wanted to ask if the v-5xe is a viable mid-level alternative or we should keep our fingers crossed that the MXR technology will trickle down to the lower-priced Ayre amps at some point in the near future.

Thanks in advance for your valuable opinions. As usual, the community is very helpful.

Matt
mminor
russellrcncom
311 posts
 
The bass is light in comparision to my old threshold amp. I was told by Ayre that the bass is a little different due to the no feedback design, which could be true.

What would be interesting is whether the bass was corrected in the V-1xe. The V-1xe has slightly more power but is considerably more $.

Stingreen's comment that the amp needs to run balanced has been supported by others.
fredericklarson's avatar
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fredericklarson
34 posts
 
More time in the saddle needed, but initial impressions of the XP-10 and V-5xe pairing are excellent for overall tonal balance, tall/deep/wide soundstage and transparency.
fredericklarson's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
fredericklarson
34 posts
 
With significant listening time now.....I have no reservations recommending the Ayre V-5xe as part of a rig in the $10-15K retail range. IMHO, it offers sufficient low end weight, transparency, balance and control. Further, system matching must always be factored in and therefore YMMV.
fohara
5 posts
 
I am curious as to why so many V-5xe amps have been for sale, at least 10 this year. I thought they are very good and would be rare in the used market. Any ideas?
rufipennis
118 posts
 
>>>I am curious as to why so many V-5xe amps have been for sale . . .

Maybe some of these sellers are moving to the new VX-5?
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