I can try to give some observations here as I've had both in my system also, and have some connection to what Peter has said, though my experience was not identical to his, and my system and room are of course different. I'd start with my usual disclaimer that Dan Wright is a client of mine so take the following with that in mind - client or not, music is too important to me and I would not use his stuff if I did not like it - I've been a fan long before I started doing work for him. That said, I'd consider those two amps two of my personal favorites in SS amps (where I normally would prefer tubes) and a tough call to name one as "better". They are, however, certainly different and some of what Peter is saying does click with what I observed, but I ONLY used a Modwright 36.5 preamp in judging the two. I had the Ayre in my system for a bit over a week. I was considering purchasing it. I currently bi-amp with KWA 150's and am very familiar with those amps having used KWA's for over a year now. From memory I would differ from Peter in some regard in that I think I liked the Ayre more than he did with the 36.5 pushing it. We have different speakers though - I was using Coincident SEIII's at the time (very efficient) - he's using Avalon Indras (average efficiency). Peter has a superb listening room while mine is more lively than I'd like it to be (work in progress). The Ayre occurred to me to have slightly more rounded edges, if you will, which perhaps is what Peter is describing as "natural presentation". In contrast the KWA 150 is more sharply defined, without being biting at all. I'd say the KWA squeezes out more of the details, and paints a more sharply defined image (I liked the soundstaging better for that reason), whereas the Ayre occurred to me as a bit more relaxed and sweet in its presentation. In contrast to someone elses comment, I never thought the Ayre, or the Modwright for that matter, sounded "cold". Both excel at midrange and both are utterly non-fatiguing and easy to listen to. I'd say the Modwright has a stronger command of the bottom end. The Modwright has more of a forward immediacy that I prefer, while the Ayre felt a bit more laid back (which is not at all unpleasant). Neither one occurred to me as a typical SS amp - and if I didn't know what was driving them I might even think tubes...yet neither really sounds strongly like tubes either, especially at frequency extremes. They're both just excellent amps in their own right and on their own terms. I did hear the Ayre at Peter's place too and thought it sounded great in his system. I have not heard the Modwright in his system though. I chose the Modwright for my preference for a more forward presentation that draws a sharper image and seemingly rendering more inner detail. I enjoyed the time with the Ayre, and can easily see how someone might prefer that presentation as well. Some physical differences in the two amps: The Modwright is around 80lbs and quite a large (tall and deep) chassis, while the smaller Ayre is around 60lbs. Both are A/B designs, but the Modwright seems to have stronger leanings towards class A and gets quite warm, even in idle. The Ayre stays quite cool in comparison, even when pushed hard. The Modwright is bridgeable so you can get a second and biamp (450W into 8 ohms I believe). I don't think you coudl really go wrong with either one, but they are different enough where I might try to audition them if possible.
