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An upgrade a long time overdue

I am thinking its time for some upgrades - like the whole system.  But its been so many years, and Boards like this have become so helpful and accessible, I am turning to the Pros as it were to seek some varied and hopefully passionate advice.  

Disclaimer - I tend to buy used as I have tastes that appreciate the A/B-class but have a D-class budget, so something that used to be $8,000 new that can be gotten for say $2200 now is right on the mark.  Of course it must still be relevant and likely remain so for the next couple of years.  But age doesnt matter otherwise....

I am currently running a bryston 2B (which itself was an upgrade from a Myryad T40), with a Cal Audio dac and dynaudio countour 1.8 floor-standing speakers.  this is the guts - i use a sony blue-ray player for the occasional movie, but mostly listening to music (which is all over the place, jazz, rock, opera, classical, etc, and more recently, the dreaded Pandora channeled through the phone and a input jack)

What research I have been able to do leads me to consider opening up the sound stage with something more mixed, like a conrad johnson pv14L as pre- and the ayre v5xe, and coming forward in the age of digital, considering something like the oppo 105 but i was also thinking the nad m50 / m52 combo instead of the oppo..........and lastly all this heard through (I'm thinking) vienna accoustics beethoven baby grands

so maybe the whole thing comes in at 8k - 10k?  can I achieve 80% - 90% of this for 5k? or less even?  Is my mixology fraught with disaster?  am I missing something obvious?  

i dont know what I dont know here so please weigh in 

thanks for your consideration and insights
jammer66
sfall
346 posts
 
"What research I have been able to do leads me to consider opening up the sound stage with something more mixed, like a conrad johnson pv14L as pre- and the ayre v5xe, and coming forward in the age of digital, considering something like the oppo 105 but i was also thinking the nad m50 / m52 combo instead of the oppo..........and lastly all this heard through (I'm thinking) vienna accoustics beethoven baby grands"

You need to build a system, not buy a bunch of separate components. I definately wouldn't put the V-5 and the PV14 in the same system. As for the other components, they're OK by themselves, but mixed is just too random.

If you match your components correctly, you'll get much better sound for a lot less money. Here's a system for an example of what I'm talking about.

Source - Ayre Codex
Amp/Preamp - Ayre AX-7 integrated
Speakers - Vandersteen Model 1's

You can spend a lot more on the components you list, but if you compare them to this simple system, they won't even stand a chance. It wouldn't be a fair comparison. Those components sound greater than the sum of their parts because they're working together. If you went about this in a different way, you'll have to spend 3-4x the money to get equivelant SQ.
jammer66 OP
10 posts
 
thanks sfall - and yes i readily admit the pairing is vexing me....

a couple of threads I read through noted good success pairing CJ tubed pre-amps with Ayre amplifiers.  what about the CJ ET3se with the Ayre V5xe?  

do you think the Vandy's are an especially good match for the Ayre? what makes them a better match for the Ayre vs something from Revel or Spendor or the VAs, in your opinion?

appreciate any insight or opinion - its helping me tremendously 
thanks 

 
gdnrbob
4,409 posts
 
@sfall, not a bad combo.

Jammer, I am the resident Vandy fanboy, so my opinion is a bit biased towards them. In any case, I would look for a time correct speaker like the Vandy's. You'll get the most coherent soundstage, as well as lack of fatigue, in my opinion.
So, my 2 cents, for $8K used....
-A pair of Vandy 2 sigs($1.5K), [3a sigs ($2K) or Treos, even better)
If you go with the 1's and 2's you definitely need 2w subs ($900/pair). The 3a sigs work with them, but their size allows them to go down pretty low by themselves.
-An Ayre V5xe integrated ($3K). You have enough power for 3a sigs and Treo's if you do this. Otherwise you could use your Bryston and get a decent preamp like an upgraded McCormack RLD, but you wouldn't be saving much. Besides, Ayre is a great combo with Vandersteen, to which some attribute to the zero feedback circuitry.
-An Ayre Codex DAC ($1.4K)- A real sleeper.
Excluding the Treo's, you will have spent about $7,500(going with the 3a sigs) and have some money for Audioquest cables (Rocket 88's and up).
Everything on the list will hold its' value for a while, and you will have a killer system. Now, if you want to go to tubes...
HTH
Bob
gdnrbob
4,409 posts
 
If you like this combo, I would suggest that you PM Johnny Rutan(audioconnection). He sell both Vandy and Ayre (and others) and will not only give you great (free) advice, but may even have some demo or used equipment.
B
sfall
346 posts
 
"do you think the Vandy's are an especially good match for the Ayre? what makes them a better match for the Ayre vs something from Revel or Spendor or the VAs, in your opinion?"

In my opinion, I have yet to hear something better. Keep in mind that's just my personal opinion. We all have different tastes, and there's no shortage of good equipment. If you want to learn a lot about Vandersteen and Ayre, have a look at this. http://vandersteen.com//audio-perfectionist-journal

I've been wanting them to make these journals availiable for some time now, and they just did. Its the most complete source for Vandersteen setup and matching components availiable. Start with issue one and you'll be up all night reading.

"a couple of threads I read through noted good success pairing CJ tubed pre-amps with Ayre amplifiers.  what about the CJ ET3se with the Ayre V5xe?"

CJ is a great company and a personal favorite of mine. I have a pair of V-5's and a Premiere 18. There's certaintly nothing wrong with the combo, but I don't think its a natural paring like Ayre/Vandersteen. If you like tubes, Aesthetix is the way to go. I have a Calypso and when people ask me about it, I tell them if Ayre made tube gear, it would be like Aesthetix.

Someone above mentioned John for AC. Once again, I'm biased, but I really feel AC is the best audio store in the US. If you don't have a local dealer, call Vandersteen and tell him you need a dealer and want to use John. He'll OK it.
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