2. misc-audio
  3. 1361470117

$13K used Budget for new system

Hello Audiogon Community,

I could use some help with speaker and preamp choices. I recently purchased a Ayre V-5xe amplifier on Audiogon and will most likely be pairing it with a Ayre K-5xeMP preamplifier.

Speaker choice right now is a Wilson Sophia at a $6K bluebook assuming I can find one locally.

I've auditioned a Sophia 2 with the Ayre combo and loved it, although the higher end KXR/MXR was even more stunning.

My questions are:

Any other speakers I should look at that would pair well with the Ayre amp?

Any other preamplifiers in the $2K used budget I should look at?

As far as a DAC, does anything outperform the QB-9 at $2K worth looking at?

Thanks!
ayre-wilson

Showing 1 response by roscoeiii

roscoeiii's avatar
roscoeiii
1,155 posts
 
You have a lot of choices at that price point. If I were you, I'd audition all you can if possible. Wilsons seem to be polarizing. Some people love them, others feel underwhelmed by them.

As for DACs, in that vicinity, I'd look at the PS Audio Perfectwave DAC. You might also take a look at the DSPeaker Dual Core 2.0, especially if your room is problematic (which most are to some degree). It can be used as a DAC or just for its DSP capabilities.
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