Ayre AX-7e vs. Belles Reference 150A

Hmm... now I'm almost set on getting a Pass Aleph 30 or Aleph J. :D The reputation of these amps (and all Pass Class A models) is the stuff of legend. The heat and energy consumption were a deal breaker for me, but I figure I gotta have one of these once in my life to see what all the fuss is about. Plus if I just think of it like a tube amp and turn it off when not in use the heat/power draw doesn't seem like as big of a deal... at least that's what I tell my wife!

Of the three, the Pass gear is by far my preference, but you are talking about 30 watts there which may be an issue with some speakers. The J was almost as good as the XA30.5 with easy to drive speakers like my Merlins.

Yeah, the Cremona Auditors are 88 dB @ 4 ohms. Sounds like a rather difficult load, but my 60 WPC (actually 120 @ 4 ohms) Bel Canto C5i Class D had no problem with them though and others have reported they are fairly easy to drive.

Ugh, but now I'm seeing that the Aleph 30 provides only 5A peak current whereas the C5i is 30A, which I think is a significant factor.

I'll just have to buy and try. Don't think I'll have any problem reselling if it doesn't work out!

I own two Ayre AX-7e amps and like them very much because of their excellent sound quality. I have one Ayre amplifier driving my Sonus Faber Auditor M Speakers in my living room (main system) and another one driving my Quad 12L speakers in my family room (2nd system for TV listening only). My living room music source is the Ayre CX-7eMP CD Player running balanced cables (XLR) to the Ayre amp.

The Ayre AX-7e Integrated amp sounds much better running with balanced inputs and not RCA inputs. Many reviewers have said this. If your source does not have balanced outputs to your amplifier, maybe you should look at a source that has balanced outputs (XLR Connections).

The Ayre AX-7e is a basic two channel integrated amplifier without many bells and whistles. It is a great sounding amplifier that works with many different speakers. It includes a remote control and has a small footprint. It outputs 60 wpc for 8 ohms and 120 wpc for 4 ohms.

I suggest you borrow a unit and see how it sounds with your speakers in your listening room.

Hi have used Ayre AX-7E in the past, heard the Belles 150As but now I am settled with Belles 350a reference V2s using them as monoblocks. I can tell you that AX 7E although a very good integrated will not get you the sound that your 150a v2 will give, especially one 4 things, dynamics,transparancy, bass extension, and soundstage. I would recommend against going to Ayre integrated just for sake of saving money because I can surely tell you, you will most likely spend more later on, to get back to the sound you are used to. It is a downgrade for sure.
For price point, Belles 150a v2 offers so much so I suggest you keep it and that in itself is saving money. You can go to Belles' integrated as someone suggested here but I think given the price, you won't be saving much. Also yours is V2 which is Belle's latest that gets you closer to their statement line. Enjoy !