What Does Ayre Sound Like?

neutral. Charlie was a genius and left the place in good talented hands.

freediver

Another +vote for Neutral. Build quality excellent as well as customer service. The EX-8 integrated amp has a newer 2.0 version.
Keep me posted when you audition this amp.

Happy Listening!

Talk to Hugh at Music Lovers in Berkley. 
They carry Ayre, Boulder, Spectral. 

And another vote for neutral. I just bought a KX-5 Twenty Pre-amp and it is breaking in nicely. I will add to the neutral that it does offer a warmth not usually associated with solid state. I have had a C5xe-mp CD player for years and I found it to be very analog and still enjoy it. 
I must add that I traded a Audio Research Ref5se in on the Ayre and was hesitant but knew this was the direction I wanted to take my system and I am not looking back. One other thing I have noticed is the Sound stage is much deeper than I would have expected. A few issues that I didn’t see coming was the lack of a trigger due to the AyreLink and although not Ayre’s doing, the darned remote codes are the same as my Marantz AV8505 PreAmp processor, which has created some inconvenience. 

op

ayre, and its sound, has been often and extensively discussed here

the search bar above is your friend

good luck and have fun

Music

The better the amp/preamp the more neutral and transparent to the source it is!

Whatever was said in the deleted post I second it. It's much more informative asking for and receiving current opinions rather than relying only on old posts.  Very often the purchasers of new equipment can't wait to go online and wax poetic about their new gear and then the honeymoon ends and new opinions emerge.

Whatever was said in the deleted post I second it. It’s much more informative asking for and receiving current opinions rather than relying only on old posts.

maybe true, or it could be just lazy and entitled...

if i am truly interested in a piece of gear that would be a big move and/pr require substantial expense, i would search *everything* that has been written about it... and i wouldn’t throw a hate-filled temper tantrum when an experienced member tells me that there is plenty existing commentary, already posted, that might be useful to the query

The question really comes down to this: does Ayre have a house sound?  Has it changed over time?  How different does the EX-8 sound from, say, an AX-7.  

Ayre is the only solid-state amplification manufacturer that has always pleased these tube-loving ears.  The house sound has a warmth or a wetness that I really dig.

I have an all Ayre system......the sound is best when using the balanced configuration.  My preamp has 2 outputs....I use a dedicated headphone amp from one of those outputs.....the sound is better when not simultaneously connected.  Unplug the one not used.

Ayre is neutral to the slightly warm side of neutral.  Easy to live with.  Does most things well.  Had the K-5xeMP pre and VX-5 twenty amp, and still using their Codex DAC and phono preamp.  Very reliable equipment and great customer service.  Well respected among audiophiles.

@theo that is high praise indeed, I extensively trialed the KX-R ( pre Twenty ) against the REF5SE and chose the latter w an Ayre VX-R amp pairing. While I have since moved on, I hold the KX-R in high regard. The Twenty circuit is genius :-)

enjoy and let us know as it continues to settle in !!!!

jim

Ayre make nice gear.   Have not heard many negative remarks ‘bout them. 
Enjoy. 

I am a huge Ayre fan.  Excellent aesthetics and build quality and I consistently rate them among the best amps I would buy if I was looking.  Especially with their headphone section of the DAC's.  The Pono with the Ayre designed output stage was amazing.

However!!

I do think they have a kind of unique sound to them alone.  They are neutral to warm and powerful but what distinguishes Ayre from every other electronics brand I've ever heard is how pitch black absolutely quiet they sound.  It is as if they suck noise out off your room and music emerges from a new place in your room you didn't know existed.

So, highly recommended, but also, to my ears, quite special and unique.

I really liked my Ayre KX-5 Twenty preamp. It had that solid sound of a well built design.
Although, looking at the innards show large open real estate with very few components.

ozzy

Ayre is good sounding and would mesh better with the harbeth but would have too lean of a sound for the proac because the ayre sound is detailed with a lightweight lean bass. Think of the sound as airy and lightweight, but natural and non fatiguing.

I have the ayre ex-8 and love it.  I got my ex-8 upgraded to 2.0 and since that upgrade I do not feel that the base is lean anymore (but did feel that it was lean before the upgrade).

Take a listen to Lejonklou Baozu (sp)  INT 40wpc, $4k.
As black as you ever hear. 
Not sure if 40wpc will do the 30.2s
but they do make monos.