Thanks all.
The S300 has much better imaging, layering and soundstage depth and more natural height. It's more stable in that area as well. It's more detailed in mid bass. Compared to the V5Xe though, the S300 is a bit grainy, lacks some very low low end and sweetness of the mids and highs and is a touch on the cool side. With the S300 though I find I don't have to crank the volume to get things going, where with the Ayre I listen to at a good 10db higher... it seems to lack low volume resolve, but at high volume it sometimes becomes too forward and a bit screechy.
So I don't know. It was just in for repair of the left ch cutting in and out in the fall... and it's the left ch that has failed completely now this time. So I'm not sure what is going on.
I won't toss it to the wayside... but I am curious now if the BCs are something I should consider demoing. The imaging on the S300 is almost magical, the Ayre has never imaged that good.
The S300 has much better imaging, layering and soundstage depth and more natural height. It's more stable in that area as well. It's more detailed in mid bass. Compared to the V5Xe though, the S300 is a bit grainy, lacks some very low low end and sweetness of the mids and highs and is a touch on the cool side. With the S300 though I find I don't have to crank the volume to get things going, where with the Ayre I listen to at a good 10db higher... it seems to lack low volume resolve, but at high volume it sometimes becomes too forward and a bit screechy.
So I don't know. It was just in for repair of the left ch cutting in and out in the fall... and it's the left ch that has failed completely now this time. So I'm not sure what is going on.
I won't toss it to the wayside... but I am curious now if the BCs are something I should consider demoing. The imaging on the S300 is almost magical, the Ayre has never imaged that good.