Ayre K1xe vs First Sound Presence Deluxe Mk II

Great discussion, guys! Keep it coming.

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.

shsosis,

Ditch being an audiophile and just be a music lover, unless of course you enjoy torture.

Kurt_Tank,

I'm currently using a full range of Kimber KS-1030 unbalanced. I might just start looking for the balanced equivalents.

I'm actually starting to enjoy the Ayre more than the First Sound now....