2. amps-preamps
  3. 133359-15091

Upgrade bug - advice on amp or preamp upgrade from Ayre for Revel speakers?

Hi all, looking to tap in to the collective experience of the forums.  My system has evolved nicely over the years.  Most recently I changed out my Thiel CS2.4s for Revel Ultima Studio2s. I’ve had them in place for about 9 months and am enjoying the heck out of them. The rest of my system is comprised of a Linn Akurate DS into Ayre K-5xe into Ayre V-5xe.  Transparent Audio balanced interconnects and power cords.  My musical preferences are primarily informed by my background as a musician (jazz) - I love live, palbable, feeling sound.  I love the wood of a bass, the way a kick drum can either pop you in the chest (ala Tony Williams) or convey subtle timbre changes (Jack DeJohnette). I love the splat of a great trumpeter (Tom Harrell, Woody Shaw...) and the thrill of colors a tenor sax can provide (Brecker, Trane, Berg...).  As a pianist, I am keenly focused on accurate reproduction that is nuanced enough to let me hear the very different touches of my favorite players (Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Barron, David Kikoski...). And I find music most gratifying when rooted by a firm and true to live conveyance of bass.  

My my current system conveys much of what I love, but of late I’m wondering if a more powerful amp might provide “more”.  I don’t need more volume, but if I had one nagging suspicion it’s that the Ayre combination doesn’t grip the bottom end as much as it could and at times appears a tad bit lean sounding.  Alternatively, could it be a preamp solution?  I demoed BAT about ten years ago while there was still a dealer in my area.  At the time I sort of fell in love with the sound, but ultimately felt Ayre was a better path at the time.  I could probably extend $5 to $7k at this time.  A few thoughts would be:  Amps (Pass 250.8, Levinson 532h, BAT VK-600, Classe CA M600, Bel Canto Ref600, others?).  If Preamp is the right way to go (BAT 32se or 42, ARC, Levinson 326s, others). Or am I crazy and should I stick with what I have and be appropriately grateful?

I really appreciate any thoughts or suggestions from those with relevant experience.
miles_trane
miles_trane OP
13 posts
 
Atmasphere - thanks for your suggestion and thoughts.  I did hear a high efficiency / low power system a few years ago that was very impressive (at Deja Vu Audio in DC area). I could definitely see going down that path. At the time I think it was a Manley integrated driving proac speakers. For now, I’m still pretty smitten with the revels.

I’ve got a chance to audition an Arc ref 5se next week at home. Will see how that does.  The good news is that the Ayre k-5xe is still a very nice piece of gear, but this will at least let me get a sense for the different sounds and approaches. 
robd2
45 posts
 
2 questions for you:
1. What level Transparent cables are you running? The low to mid tier models can muffle a high end system as they are trying to smooth out the sound for lower tier gear.
2. Do you leave your Ayre gear on 24/7? It tends to need this.
miles_trane OP
13 posts
 
Robd2 - I'm using the music wave Ultra line for interconnects from the Linn DS to the preamp and the Ayre (Cardas) interconnect from the pre to the amp.  I'm using MW Ultra speaker cables - which I found to be a meaningful improvement over the analysis plus silvers I was using before.  In your view, do the Ultra's fall in the category you described?  I leave the preamp on all the time, but the Amp gets powered down during night, but is left on all day.
robd2
45 posts
 
The Ultra line is good, as is a lot of your gear. I have some ideas for you but so I don't give you bad info tell us a little more about your problems and feel free to use instrument descriptions so we can have some fun with this. Is it all instruments that sound leaned out? Maybe the low end of a piano is missing? Any etch in the high frequencies?
kalali's avatar
kalali
1,977 posts
 
Based on my relatively limited experience, preamps in general have a lesser impact than amps if you're trying to fill in the missing lower octave(s). Your amp/preamp combination is considered excellent by most and compared to many others, so if you're happy with your system and just want to add a little more weight at the very bottom, you may want to experiment with placement, room treatment, or adding a sealed box subwoofer.
More to discover