plinius vs. ayre

Hi Jcraig6, I didn't know anything about Ayre or Plinius, but I enjoyed the obviously knowledgable, helpful, and articulate post by Rayhall. Thanks, I learned something about these foreign amps.

Ayre is made in Colorado.

Have you listened to the Bryston amps? I demoed a Plinius 100 in my home for a week and then demoed a Bryston 3B-ST. I chose (2) of the 3B-ST's bridged. The Plinius was very warm but just lacked a sense of realism. I was simply too laid back. I have always found however that matching the amp to the speakers and the components is really the most important thing. Because i was using a Bryston pre, this may have amde the difference. The Bryston was definetely stronger on the bottom end. Sorry I do not have any experience with the Ayre. Good luck!

Anyhoo, I still say try the FPB 200 against either the Ayre or the Plinius. I don't know why it would'nt do everything better than both of them. Rayhall (Bobby?) mentions tubelike midrange. The Krell FPB series have THE VERY BEST MIDRANGE of any solid state amp, and at least the equal of most tube amps. They also have the PERFECT combination of bass tightness and bass roundness. The treble is maximally smooth with the right power cord. Dynamics are killer, especially with the right interconnects and speaker cable. You just can't go wrong with an FPB, except the monoblocks are even better. And an FPB 200 could be had used for around $3500 to $4000, so money certainly wouldn't be an issue...

I don't know who Bobby is, but the Krell FPB series has never impressed me. I have listened FPB200, 300 and 600. I have found all to be non-involving. Whereas I would say both the Ayre and Plinius are extremely musical, with the Ayre probably being slightly more so than the Plinius. The Plinius will have just a little more bite in the upper midgrange, but is not "steely" and is never harsh. It's always hard to follow someone else's recommendation since no two audiophiles ever agree on everything. So, I guess it is best to hear all three amps (Plinius, Ayre and Krell) and make up your own mind.