I have the Ayon spirit lll generation 4 with KT150. Everyone tells me they don’t match with dynaudios. I had them with the C1 86 db 4 ohms, best sound I’ve had. Now I have them with special 40s excellent sound. I did change the drive tubes and cables. High fidelity CT1 made great difference. Sylvania for the four and Ken rad for the two are some of the best.
need help regarding new Ayon spirit iii
Hiya all.. I am a newbie to this forum and need some advice on a new Ayon Spirit iii amplifier that I have purchased.
My old setup consists of :
Musical Fidelity A3cr Preamp and A3.2cr Power amp (130 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms);
Arcam Diva CD72 Cd player;
KEF Q900 speakers (8 Ohms);
Marantz na6006 Streamer
I purchased the preamp/power amp and Cd player in 2001, and the KEF speakers in 2018. The Ayon Spirit iii amplifier is my first purchase of a Tube amplifier and I am mostly very happy with it, the problem I have is that my old setup seems to be significantly better in the pace, rhythm, and bass departments. This is causing me a little dilemma as the pace and rhythm of the old setup is very very addictive, I understand that SS excels in these areas and its grip/power on my current speakers is amazing, on the other hand the Ayon amp seems quite 'shy' in this regard.
I believe that the speakers I have are not a suitable match for the Ayon and this is where my issue(s) really begin. I have auditioned the Klispch Forte speakers and was initially very impressed but after a short time my ears felt very fatigued, which I found strange since a Emotiva 40 watt tube amp was powering the speakers. I was drawn to the Forte speakers because of it's high sensitivity and very positive reviews and I cannot find any other speakers which are NOT Horned based that have sensitivity above 93db.
Can anyone kindly recommend suitable floor standing speakers that are above 93db sensitivity, are NOT Horned based, and NOT classified as Monitor speakers.
Also can any tube amp owner (Ayon Spirit owners preferably) give me some tips on how to get the best out of their amp (i.e. tube rolling and the best types of tubes to use) as I am a complete novice and feel a bit overwhelmed.
Cheers Guys and Gals
My old setup consists of :
Musical Fidelity A3cr Preamp and A3.2cr Power amp (130 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms);
Arcam Diva CD72 Cd player;
KEF Q900 speakers (8 Ohms);
Marantz na6006 Streamer
I purchased the preamp/power amp and Cd player in 2001, and the KEF speakers in 2018. The Ayon Spirit iii amplifier is my first purchase of a Tube amplifier and I am mostly very happy with it, the problem I have is that my old setup seems to be significantly better in the pace, rhythm, and bass departments. This is causing me a little dilemma as the pace and rhythm of the old setup is very very addictive, I understand that SS excels in these areas and its grip/power on my current speakers is amazing, on the other hand the Ayon amp seems quite 'shy' in this regard.
I believe that the speakers I have are not a suitable match for the Ayon and this is where my issue(s) really begin. I have auditioned the Klispch Forte speakers and was initially very impressed but after a short time my ears felt very fatigued, which I found strange since a Emotiva 40 watt tube amp was powering the speakers. I was drawn to the Forte speakers because of it's high sensitivity and very positive reviews and I cannot find any other speakers which are NOT Horned based that have sensitivity above 93db.
Can anyone kindly recommend suitable floor standing speakers that are above 93db sensitivity, are NOT Horned based, and NOT classified as Monitor speakers.
Also can any tube amp owner (Ayon Spirit owners preferably) give me some tips on how to get the best out of their amp (i.e. tube rolling and the best types of tubes to use) as I am a complete novice and feel a bit overwhelmed.
Cheers Guys and Gals
12 responses Add your response
Hiya all The issue(s) with the Bass and rhythm on the Ayon are now a non issue, it has finally broken in and my ears have become more accustomed to the sound, I must say that the Bass is now more powerful and tight and matches the pace of my SS setup. I have now bought the KEF R900's speakers and I have a very happy person indeed |
Couple of questions - are you listening in pentode or triode? What are your issues specifically with the sound? Can you offer more nuance? Saying you don't like the PRaT and bass is sort of like saying I hate everything about the sound of this pairing. If you were happy before, are you sure you want new speakers or do you want to return that amp? Your Q900s are easy to drive at 91dB. It is not the SPL of the speakers that is the issue. With the right amp, 15w of power is enough to make them sing. For instance, I use a 45w amp to drive speakers with an SPL of 84dB and gets loud enough to make my ears ring. The reality is tube amps, especially in triode mode are going to tend to emphasize the mids at the expense of bass which will get a little less refined and usually treble will get slightly rolled off. PRaT typically improves with tubes at the expense of bass response. First test would be, turn the amp off and switch from triode to pentode. Do you hear an improvement in performance in terms of bass and do you like the sound better with the exception of detail? Pentode should give the amp better control over the speakers and will tighten things up and is great for home theater. You tend to lose detail, especially in the midrange. Second test, use your MF Pre. Attach your MF pre to the "Direct In" and see if you like the sound better. This will bypass the integrated amps preamp stage and volume control. Third test, use the pre out on the Ayon and attach it to your MF power amp. I suggest these tests to isolate the issue with the Ayon as this will provide a separate evaluation of the preamp and power stages of the integrated. Use the same couple songs and listen in triode, pentode and these other two configurations. take notes and decide what you like and dislike. Then you can make a more informed decision. Do those tests and let us know what you think? |
I used the exact same tubes in both the Spirit II and III, but found the sound of the Spirit II to be a bit more lively, with a little more detail and transient attack. I was comparing both amps when using the triode mode. The pentode mode does have more bass weight and "punch", with twice the clean power of course, but it does give up some texture, detail and ambience compared to the triode mode. |
Hiya...and thanks for your feedback, I actually have not used Triode mode too much as my speakers do not seem to match the Ayon too well, I find there is too little volume in this mode, Pentode mode if a better match atm. What area(s) did you prefer the ii over the iii?...just curious I am new to tube rolling so I will check out the Amperex 7316's and do some trial and error. Thanks again for your time |
I have owned both an Ayon Spirit II and Spirit III amp for over 10 years now. I bought the new Spirit III, thinking it would be a sonic upgrade from the Spirit II. After comparing both, I found that I actually liked the sound of the Spirit II better, so I sold the Spirit III, and continue to enjoy the Spirit II. For my tastes, I prefer using the triode mode with the amp, for the fine details and ambience are more obvious. I also like the sound of the 8 ohm tap over the 4 ohm tap. For input tubes or driver tubes, try a pair of Amperex 7316's, which are very dynamic, detailed, and lively, with great highs. I would not suggest using them in all 4 positions, for it may get to be a bit forward sounding. I also like using the direct RCA input on the amp, if you already have an excellent sounding pre-amp, especially when listening at lower levels. I have tried many speakers with the amp, and have found that 91 db efficient 8 ohm speakers like my Reference 3A Episodes and De Cappo's are an excellent match with the Spirit II in the triode mode (approx. 35 w.p.c.) If you tend to listen at loud playback levels, or need to fill a big room with sound, you may want a much higher efficiency speaker. Hope this helps! |
Former Ayon Spirit owner. It’s been some time, so I cannot advise on specific tubes to roll other than saying that doing so will be worthwhile. First, get the speaker. Evaluate it with the stock Ayon Spirit III and only then start with tube rolling. In terms of speaker recommendation, consider Tekton Design. I’d look strongly at their Perfect SET speaker, for starters ($1,800 delivered). Your music genres and overall sound performance preferences (depending) might change my recommendation towards another model in their line up. You’ve got a great amp. I’m sure you will be very happy once you choose the right speaker to pair it with. |
You should check out Audio Note speakers their AN-E floorstander is 94dB sensitive an easy impedance and full range. They are designed to be powered by tube amps. Though a floorstander they do sound best on short stands. https://www.audionote.co.uk/an-e-speakers Not sure your budget but they are in the $12K range and up depending on options. They do show up used fairly often there is a pair on here now: https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9e7bd-audio-note-an-e-lx-full-range No relation to the seller just a happy Audio Note speaker owner, the slightly smaller AN-J model. |