Having heard the V5xe,but not the others lately,perhaps I am in the wrong room.That being said the Ayre's layering and soundstage are first class/top shelf.Thinking a sideways move may not be your goal,but as usual synergy will be in the doing,not the the talking,good luck,Bob
Ayre vs VTL vs BAT
I currently have an Ayre V-5xe amp and K-5Xe preamp. I am thinking about upgrading my preamp and possibly the amp as well. I have auditioned a number of companies products including Aethetix, Ayre, BAT, Cary, CAT, and Levinson. So far, I liked the Ayre K-1Xe and BAT-51SE the best. The last preamp/amp combo that I wanted to try was VTL, but there are no dealers near me. Can anyone tell me what kind of sonic differences I will hear between the Ayre K-1Xe vs the VTL 7.5? How about the V-1Xe or V-5Xe vs the VTL 450 monoblocks? Please feel free to comment on the BAT vs the VTL products as well if you have experience there.