Integrateds: Luxman vs. Ayre?


This shootout is between the Luxman 507x and Ayre EX-8 2.0

Currently I own a Luxman 507x.  Rather happy with it... but...

I use a separate streamer (Pi/Roon) and DAC (Mytek Brooklyn) for music and an external Anthem processor to feed it HT 2 channel.

My thinking is, the EX-8 would let me eliminate the DAC/streamer AND it has a separate sub out. 

The issue is I've not heard the Ayre integrated, only the separates and I really like them, though they do seem to have a distinct sound to them. 

Thoughts?

 

 

erik_squires

I don’t find Ayre necessarily neutral. It has it’s own ... almost noise cancelling ... signature. It’s hard to explain it. Maybe the imaging is superior and lets you hear more into the recording as if it ignores the room?

I can’t really describe it... but I find it’s audibly different. 

Maybe it's excessively quiet?  I'm afraid words really kind of fail me to encapsulate what I've heard in the past. 

I have listened to quite a few Luxman integrated and amps. I have owned a couple of Ayre DACs that I believe reflect the house sound… I would say the Ayre sound is smoother and more well balance than Luxman. I do not find the Ayre dry, but the Luxman has more sparkle (that is not a complement in my eyes… or ears).

@ghdprentice 

Interesting. I like the 'sparkle' that Luxman has. Although I rarely listen to 'heavy' rock and roll, when I do, I have found some amps to be dull sounding. The Luxman sounds wonderful with every type of music, is what I am trying to say.

As for the OP - I don't think the Ayre DAC is going to be better then the Mytek. I have yet to hear a 'built-in" DAC that sounds as good as a stand alone one.

@ghdprentice 

Would the old word for sparkle  be bright? There has  been a trend in hifi the last number of years in my opinion  towards brightness in the equipment.  

In my listening to Ayre vs. Lux, McIntosh, Naim, and Bryston, Ayre comes out on top for transparency, clarity, imaging, and control.  Naim feels more dynamic or punchy, but Ayre out points in all other areas.  This is based on their lower tier separates using their CD player.