Ayre K-1xe vs Audio Research Ref 3

Having used a number of preamps, including the excellent VTL 6.5, Ayre K5 and now the KX-R...and having tried several ARC units I suspect that once you select one or the other that your gain can be adjusted to suit....my personal preference is the KX-R first, then the VTL 6.5 and then distantly the K5...I was using the V5 amp and now the MX-R...select something that pleases you. Personally if I were to select and remain with a tube unit it would be VTL...but I have always been concerned about aging tubes...because that can be a very sublte issue

Had them both and loved the gain in the Ref 3. I still prefered the overall performance of the Ayre K1xe, just a wonderful sounding preamp, its now the heart of my system.
Even single ended will sound fine but the balance mode was just perfect for me. It was smoother sounding than many other tube preamps I have tried and had including the BAT, Calypso to name a few. Works well with many other electronic pieces with different sonic characters producing very vivid sound so its good to experiment first. Stunning performance with Krell and Wilson combo that I have.

I know this is old thread but... Are K1xe and K3 have adjustable gain and plenty of it, you just need to get different values for internal resistors, they can be easily found inside of the unit