Ayre KX-R


Does anyone have this preamp? I cant believe the cost compared to other pre-amps!!! I know Wes Phillips gushed all over this one but is it worth it?
128x128topfinadv
I also own the KXR , and won' t part with it . Before the Ayre I owned the ARC ref 3 and before that the Levinson 320S . The Ayre is twice the money , but it' s twice the pre amp . I' ve found the best match for it is Levinson amp' s .
I just got the KX-r and MX-R and I have heard many Krell over the years Ayre is hard to beat. Ayre has a good warrnty an upgrade policy that will not break you. It is the best my system has ever sounded. But you need to close your eyes and make up your own mind.
someone also mentioned to me about the pass xp-20. Anyone have any thoughts about this preamp vs the ayre or the krell.Thanks
good point!!! I have ml prodigy's, krell amp and auditioning a dcs puccini and playback design's sacd player.....
Topfinadv...glad to hear it. Let us know what you decide. This is the best way to evaluate gear. Glad you got the opportunity to audition it in your system + compare it to the Evo 202 and your current gear. Good luck and happy holidays.
cmalak and bar81 has some good advice. they are coming from differing perspecives.

I've heard this preamp in my system (with Ayre MXR amps). It is VERY VERY good, I ended up however matching my Ayre amps with a Nagra PLL pre vs the Ayre Pre. Saved 8-9K. While I felt the Ayre did some things better like deeply quiet and incredible detail, I thought the Nagra added a touch of warmth that I wanted in my system and was a better match with my existing Nagra phono stage (VPS).

Regardless on the price you can get on a KXR, you have to match it to what you already have or plan to get one day.

I still may go with a KXR one day when Ayre comes out with a matching phono stage...but for now, I am very happy.

so I think the real answer here for you is "it depends" on things like what are you matching it to and what type of sound do you like.
Topfinadv...are you asking if you should shell out $11.5K for the KX-R without getting a chance to audition (let alone audition it in your system)? Because if that's the question, my answer would be I wouldn't do it. Like everything else, excellent components can sound like crap in any system due to poor matching/lack of synergy. Just because Wes Phillips gushed about it and it received Stereophile's amplification product of the year award does not mean it will necessarily sound good in your system. If you can't audition it in your system (or audition it period), I would check out the KX-R's output impedance and your power amp's input impedance to make sure there is no mismatch there. Secondly, I would seek out owners of the KX-R and compare your system with theirs to see if you have similar or closely matched components to those who own and rave about the KX-R, otherwise you are just rolling the dice. My 2c worth. At the very least, let folks know what the rest of the system is that you will be plugging the KX-R into, so that those who are familiar with the KX-R can hypothesize whether it will be a good match for your components or not. Not trying to dissuade you from the purchase, I am just giving you what my approach would be. Good luck.
Before I pulled the trigger on the KX-R, I would want to here the JR Criterion.
Yes, it is a downright steal at the pricepoint. ime, the preamp is the linchpin of a system and the KX-R is elite.