Ayre MR-X monoblocks - how good are they??

Akozar -- The gain on the KX-R is adjustable simply by changing one resistor per channel. There is no soldering required. Simply call Michael at x223 and he can help. However, in most cases, there is is no need to change the gaing. It may be that one of the cables in the system was single ended. Increasing the gain can make it difficult to select the right volume level at low listening levels. There is no problem running the gaing at "60". It's not like a car where it is being run at 10,000 rpm and you are in danger of blowing the engine.

MU6,

"was a bit confused about their appearance and relatively small amount of parts inside regarding the price"

Many people prefer a larger amplifier. The MX-R's do not sell well in China because of this. As far as the price goes, Ayre has always built very high value performance products. We are happy to compare our products against competing products that cost 2x to 3x the cost of our products.

Do not be fooled by a small photo in a magazine. There are a lot of *very* expensive parts in those amplifiers. It is similar to the CJ preamps with the Teflon caps. For example, our PCB material in the MX-R and KX-R costs us over 30x as much as standard audio-grade fiberglass. That is just one example.

They are not for everybody -- no product is. But they are also not overpriced.