Ayre AX-7e vs. Belles Reference 150A

Thanks for the direct comparison Fly_fish_nz.

Anybody have thoughts on the Belles Ref 150A vs. the Luxman L-505u? I'm extremely interested in this piece. I heard it VERY briefly at a dealer with an Ayre CDP, but hooked up to Paradigm Studio 60s. Obviously I didn't get to experience the integrated's full potential with those speakers, but I liked the sonic signature -- a little warm, smooth, and natural sounding, but with some liveliness (I particularly recall nice shimmering sound on the ride cymbal). Soundstage depth and focus were not so good, and transparency and clarity were a bit lacking, but this may very well have been the fault of the speakers.

Also heard the megabuck Luxman M800A a while ago with Cremona M driven by a full DCS Paganini stack and CJ CT-5 pre: absolutely fell in love.

Thanks for the advice, guys, especially Pkoh70 -- that is very helpful! I've decided to keep the 150A Ref and wait for an Aleph J to arise to compare the 2...

... I'm also contemplating trying out a tube or hybrid amp, but the excessive concentrated heat (I have a one year old daughter who is just about to start walking) and low power have me discouraged. I would love to try an Almarro A318B, but I have read that it runs wicked hot, and 18 WPC into 88dB @ 4 ohms doesn't sound terribly promising. Still, I lust after that natural, lush, holographic SET sound and my aim is to find something more practical that can get me as close as possible, like many of us audiophiles. I'm sure I will end up with the A318B at some point as well as an Aleph.

Pathos Classic One MkIII, Cayin A-88T, PrimaLuna Dialogue Two, old McIntosh SS (MC150, MC7100, MC7200, MC2105, MC2125) -- any thoughts on these vs. my existing gear?

Also, any problem using an integrated as a power amp? I find that a lot of the better more affordable tube gear are integrateds without remotes.

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!

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!