Click title to read one, or click date to read all below it.
05-13-12
The winner is the ayre without a doubt. Dfwmediagroup
05-13-12
I second it....the blue ribbon goes to ayre Stringreen
05-14-12
Ayre, by a large margin. Tmsorosk
05-14-12
No definitive winner, it depends on your system and prioriti ... Knghifi
05-17-12
No, the ayre is do much more extended and you can throw it a ... Samuelg
05-17-12
Has anyone actually heard these two preamps in the same syst ... Peterayer
05-17-12
Both of these are supposed to be exceptional. the ayre has b ... Ritmo
05-17-12
I have not heard the ayre but did audition the xp-30 at reno ... Gandme
05-18-12
my guess is no and you can probably include the 5th. you ... Knghifi
05-19-12
I did try both preamps in my system for more than a week for ... Kusina
05-19-12
The ayre kxr is an excellent preamp and it was a preamp that ... Sfstereo
05-19-12
Sfstereo, i know they are in different leagues, but how did ... Tonyptony
05-19-12
Tonyptony, it was difficult to go back to hamburger after t ... Sfstereo
05-21-12
interesting comment coming from soneone who hasn't even hea ... Rockitman
05-21-12
I've now heard these on several occasions. depending on yor ... Hornguys
06-21-12
Thanks to all who responded, ended up buying the ayre kxr pr ... Jebsmith73
07-28-12: Peterayer
Jeb, Congratulations on the new pre amp. It is really superb. I heard it for the first time today.
In an early post above, I asked if anyone had actually heard both of these in the same system. I had the chance to do a direct comparison between these two pre amps in a friend's system today. He has Wilson Sashas and a Lamm hybrid amp. We listened to both digital and analog with a variety of jazz, pop and classical. I pretty much agree with what Hornguys wrote above. These are both great preamps.
We also compared the Lamm amp to a Pass XA160.5. With both amps on both digital and vinyl, the Ayre KXR had more high frequency energy. Also, leading edges/transients were emphasized over the sustain and decay of a note. The whole sound was more forward and tipped up tonally. The Pass XP-30 was more relaxed and a bit easier to listen to. I actually found it more involving, especially with the Pass amp, but I own Pass gear, so am admittedly biased. With the XP-30, there was usually, but not always, less emphasis on the leading edge of the note but the fundamental and harmonics were glorious, especially when mated to the Pass XA160.5.
One could say the Pass pre was warmer than the Ayre, but I would actually describe the Ayre as slightly cooler than the Pass. I guess they could mean the same thing, but when viewed relative to neutral, I would describe the Ayre as beng more on the cool side of neutral than the Pass is on the warm side of neutral, but others may disagree and reverse that. Either way, it is only by a matter of a few degrees.
Both preamps are highly resolving, wonderfully functional, first rate products from very good companies. They are expensive, but offer great performance. Which preamp one prefers will probably depend most on the rest of the system and personal preferences as Hornguys suggests above.
Peterayer (System | Reviews | Threads | Answers | This Thread)
08-12-12
Hi peterayer, thanks for the great insight in comparing kx-r ... Philipwu
08-12-12
Hello philip, i have no experience with the simaudio 750d. ... Peterayer
08-14-12
Hi peterayer, thanks for your detail effort in describing th ... Philipwu
08-14-12
Well, i don't know about percentages. but i would say that ... Peterayer
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