The Ayre AX-7e is worth every penny. You are not just buying a bunch of parts, but also an amazing design, a respected brand, superb assembly, and top-notch customer service. Oh, yeah...it sounds wonderful, too. Throw an L-5xe in front of it, and you've got a killer upgrade path.
It's like when I hear people say "I'm looking for something that drives like a BMW." I respond, "How about a BMW?" |
I had an AX7e. It's a great amp. I had it side by side with several McIntosh integrateds and found it to be cleaner and more accurate in the soundstage without sounding at all analytical.
I went to a ARC VSi-55 and was happy with my choice. Tubes have a different texture that I find important. I also have a RWA sig. 30 that is really nice with great depth and soundstage but it's 30 watts.
Good luck in your search. |
Dkzzzz, do you feel you got your answer? |
I got one answer from you, thank you. I also got a lot of spam.
It is frustarting to waste so much time on the way to somewhat realistic sound only becaue this market is full magic, woodoo... |
The Ayre stuff especially the newer stuff looks fantastic. |
I'm not quite sure why you need to look anywhere else. I used to own the AX-7e and it's a fantastic piece. |
Dkzzzz,
Rather then mumble about how bad the audio world is and wondering where all the good equipment is, how about you actually listen to a few pieces.
There is very little out there that is bad, it's simply a matter of synergy. Reading about components on audio forms only should ignite a spark of interest, at the end of the day you have to listen.
There are a few dozen good sounding integrated speakers on the market, most of which can sound quite terrible with the wrong source and transducer. Find yourself a good dealer or go and listen at shows. You'd be amazed at the results. You might even listen to more music. |
Dkzzzz said to Pubul57:
"I got one answer from you, thank you. I also got a lot of spam.
It is frustarting to waste so much time on the way to somewhat realistic sound only becaue this market is full magic, woodoo..."
I see several good alternative suggested. I wonder what you're expecting. Ayre is near the top of the heap, so why not just buy that and forget about it. I think you're making more out of this than it's worth. If you like the Ayre and can afford it, then buy it. There's no need to worry about it, since there's nothing that's really going to blow the Ayre totally out of the water.
Dave |
Dave, ol' DK4z just loves the attention. . . the more we chase his red herrings, the more he'll get excited and spin them back to us with his peerless colloquial verve. . . . very entertaining really! G. |
DKZ's ,If you feel that Ayre and other costly (subjective) components are over priced by 60% (I dont know how you arrived at that percentage)I can only imagine what you must think of the owners of these components.Or is it just plain ENVY |
The perception that everything is over-priced and a lot of magic and voodoo is being sold has to do with whether or not you personally hear differences in components and whether those differences have enough meaning to you. On a very fundamental level, ALL components do sound the same (one can make out the tune) so how does one justify the price difference?
So, if wine tastes like soured grape juice to you, it makes sense to stick with Welch's Grape Juice and avoid Petrus Pomerol Grand Vin. Who looks like the fool coming to a forum with a lot of serious enthusiasts to suggest that everyone is an idiot for spending more than you are willing to spend on "grape juice"? |
Seems like Guidocorona has it right. |
Krell 300iL or 400xi are fantastic integrateds with tons of power and flat freq response. |
Forget the MAC. It's an appliance, and every Mac dealer knows it. That's why they sell it...it's easy to sell. Great company, great service, great story, but they don't make high fidelity. At least not today. With Mac you are buying a huge nice box that looks like their products of 3 decades ago. Great marketing to the baby boomers. Anyone with ears and a reference of live music will immediately notice the colorations in Mac gear. The Ayre is far better, but you really don't get your money's worth. Ever look inside one? Not much in there. And if you are in manufacturing, you'll note clever cost cutting everywhere. No silk-screening on the rear panel. No anodizing on the rear. Tiny boards inside...connectors that are overcrowded together on the rear as if there is no space...it's a joke, really. The outside's nice, the overall design decent, and if you like the Ayre sound, then it's probably your best bet. You could do far worse. |
"...but you really don't get your money's worth."
After reading your assessment of Ayre gear (in this and your other thread), I question not only your analysis, but also the conclusions of your "insights". Very curious. |
I wouldn't mind if they put all plastic parts in Ayre components. They all sound wonderful and that's what I am paying for. |
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Yes.... CAYIN AUDIO is making some of the best sounding gear on the market right now! |
Ayre and Cayin in the same breath is a bit of a stretch. Cayin is very good at it's price point, but not in the same league as Ayre, IMHO.
Dave |
