Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty Streaming DAC

I have (and will soon be selling) a QX-8 to upgrade to the. QX-5.

The 8 is so wonderful in so many ways but since my budget allows the improved performance of the 5 (which I evaluated in a wonderful setting) I am making the move 

Good move!!!!

@patrickdowns I have heard the QX-5 directly into Ayre reference mono amps and it was very good. I run mine into the AX-5 Twenty.

Ayre is about ready to ship my QX-5 to me after upgrading the USB and adding their new Ethernet board. Ayre is very excited about the streaming board and I can't wait to hear it.

Until now, I primarily used the QX-5 as an outboard DAC for my Ayre disc player; other streaming options were a distant second. I have a Node 2i as a way to use Apple AirPlay into the system. And I did occasionally stream Roon/Qobuz through the ethernet port, but it was lackluster. Given the setup is far from ideal, and streaming was somewhat better through the Node. Neither was anywhere close to the sound I get from the disc player, my primary source and features the best power cord and interconnect.

Once the new Ayre ethernet port is in, I'll work to upgrade that source with a better interconnect and more.

All of this is to say that the Ayre is a wonderful product, amazing sound and a bargain given that it can be upgraded as digital develops.

You know, there were times when I would look at my extensive collection of CDs, SACDs and DVD Audio discs and think, it might be fun to purchase a nice, used, universal player to play with.  You can buy pre-owned players now-a-days for a song-and-a-dance.  But, every time I sit down in front of my system and listen to how absolutely wonderful the music sounds, I just dispel the thought every time.  I stream and play ripped files exclusively, using the magnificent Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables into my (non-updated) Ayre QX-5/20 streaming DAC and Roon Nucleus Plus.   I do not use USB.  Not to mention, how convenient it is to operate and control my entire music library with the touch of a finger via my iPad.  The combination of sound quality and convenience always seems to win the day for me.  The key is to have very high quality streaming components so that you may experienced streaming at it's finest.  It made a believer out of me                

johnmcalpin

Good to find a fellow AX-5 Twenty owner. Which AYRE disc player do you own?

Do you still own Thiel Audio CS 2.3 loudspeakers? If so, feel free to join Us over on the Thiel Owners thread here.

Happy Listening!