I've owned both and I like the JC-1s better. They have more authority and drive and are warmer and just plain sound a lot better I thought. I'm sure that they have a lot more power has a lot to do with it. I love Ayre gear but the V5xe just didn't float my boat. The preamp I was using was the K1x so if anything you would think the V5xe would be at an advantage in regards to preamp matching.
