Ayre K1xe vs First Sound Presence Deluxe Mk II

Shsohis,

Congrats on getting the Ayre K-1xe.
Please let us know what you like, and/or dislike about it, and of course how it compares to the First Sound unit. (I don't think I've ever read of anybody ever comparing the two, so it should be interesting to see what you think.)

Hey Mtdking,

Actually you are partially correct.
The tubed Lamm power amps are indeed a quasi-balanced design, and would indeed probably sound better with single ended cables. However, the hybrid designs are fully balanced. (This is as per Vladimir himself, BTW.)

Whether or not RCA cables sound better, (with the hybrid amps, of course), I think depends on the cables and the preamps used. (And, since Lamm preamps are not fully balanced either, as I recall, I can see why Vladimir might indeed have said to you that RCA cables would sound better with the amps.) However, since I am using a fully balanced preamp, it only makes sense for me to use balanced cables. (Besides, I prefer the connections on XLR cables, to the RCA terminations. Better contact, and less chance of them loosening over time. And don't get me started on those "dang" locking RCA's!) :-)

And I am not trying to highjack the thread, (and since Shsohis has already bought the K-1xe, I don't think I am), I have a question for you mtdking:
What are you using for your system components now?
I have seen your posts on Audiogon before, (since we seem to respond to the same type of questions), and you seem to have gone through a number of the best amps and other equipment that I have ever heard. I am just wondering what you consider to be better than those we've been discussing. I would love to know what equipment I should make an effort to try to listen to next. Thanks!)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!

Kurt_Tank,

I spent one afternoon today listening to the newly acquired Ayre K1-xe after leaving the unit on standby for 3 days. I did not however take the trouble of switching back to the First Sound since I know the First Sound very well. This is a quick summary.

Now first, pricing - The Ayre with phono and remote goes listed at about $10,550. The First Sound (with Philips SQ 7308) plus Pass XOno on Symposium rollerblocks, Kimber KS1030 and an extra Shunyata Taipan Helix Alpha add up to about $12,190. The rest of the setup remains unchanged.

Many consider the Ayre to be extremely quiet and yes, the Ayre is very detail and gives a very relaxed presentation. Images seem very organised, well-sized and composed and the soundstage moves back behind the speakers but still remains between the borders of my Thiel 2.4. Vocals appeared to be natural without any hint of mechanical tint. The flow of music is very smooth and at the same time very dynamic without any whisper of "solid state". Indeed, upon prolonged listening, I found myself enjoying the music and forgotten about accessing the sonic quality. Very very musical.

Now, if the Ayre is quiet, then the First Sound is dead-quiet. However, I thought the Ayre appears to dig out details better than the First Sound even with the latter creating a completely black background. The First Sound doesn't arrange images nicely like the Ayre but its soundstage is HUGE and even extends beyond the speakers. Images on the First Sound are razor sharp with dark spaces between music notes and vocals. The Ayre does projects a better presentation depth than the First Sound. So is the First Sound better? etc etc. Yes, with the First Sound, I often found myself taking up a music critic position, always ready to access the music and perhaps not enjoying it as much as I should. I will conclude that listening to the the First Sound is like a watching blu-ray and the Ayre is like watching standard DVD.

Moving on to the built-in phono, the Ayre again exhibits a slight hiss compared to the Pass XOno. I was initally worried that the Ayre phono will surrender using the Lyra Helikon SL. No I was wrong! The phono is really excellent and really sounds very much like the Pass. The only area which I thought the Pass performs better is in its bass which is more rounded and full. For a built-in phono, I was really surprised!

Do I prefer the First Sound/Pass Xono combo to the Ayre? Initially in the digital session, I really thought the First Sound outclasses the Ayre because the Ayre sound seems processed and sometimes too polite. But, the gap narrows so much upon moving to analogue. And that Ayre remote controls both the pre and my Ayre amp as well. I'm still undecided - It is a struggle between being a musiclover and an audiophile.

Shsohis,

Thanks for the update.
Glad to hear that you like it so far, even though it is a toss-up as to which is better, at least in the analog realm. (Not bad for a solid state unit, huh?! I agree that I too was somewhat surprised when I switched from a tubed preamp to the K-1xe as well.)

A quick question for you:

What cables are you using, and are they balanced or single ended?

(As you are aware, the Ayre unit, (and pretty much the entire line, to be honest), is designed from the ground up to use balanced cables.) Using balanced cables reduces the background noise slightly more, and it just plain sounds better, IMHO. And this includes the phono stage, especially since cartridges have a balanced signal, (although some prefer the use of the term differential to balanced when it comes to cartridges).

Let us know the ultimate outcome of your shootout!

I must urge all that use Ayre to use a totally balanced system. By using some units balanced and others single ended, you can't experience what Ayre's sound really is. I'm not saying that there is a huge difference, but I would describe it as quite dramatic...and may well bring what you are looking for to the party. I am using an all Ayre system with balanced vinyl and Vandersteen 5A's, and the sound is quite extraordinary.