Ayre QB-9 USB DAC


Has anyone heard this unit? Does anyone know how this unit is supposed to compare to their all in one players?
blackstonejd

Showing 1 response by hgeifman

I own the Ayre QB-9 USB DAC and it is terrific. I am very impressed with the way it sounds and yes, it is better sounding then my Ayre CX-7e CD player. The highs are better and so is the bass. The music is clearer and more engaging. My MAC Book Pro computer has 4 GB RAM and the 120GB solid state drive. I am using the Seaport Free Agent Go Pro 500GB external hard drive to store my music files (a 2nd one for backup). The Furman AC-215 power conditioner is required so the MAC computer does not interfere with the audio components. See www.furmansound.com/product.ph

I am using the Transparent USB Cable from the computer to the Ayre DAC. I followed Ayre's MAC Book setup instructions and they worked. The Audio MIDI setup was a little different from their instructions but we finally figured it out. The QB-9 is connected (balanced cables) to my Ayre AX-7e Integrated amp connected to my Sonus Faber Auditor M Speakers.

The major issue was the computer in terms of what model, how much RAM, hard drive and external drives. Ayre was very helpful (www.ayre.com) and so was my audio store, Music Lovers Audio in Berkeley, CA. It takes between 3 to 5+ minutes per CD using the AIFF format. This is a very boring time consuming process.

I checked and double checked everything to ensure I made no mistakes. Everyone I talked said to get the MAC and not a PC. Ayre recommended I use the external drives for better music quality and not the hard drive on the computer.

If you decide to move in this direction, I suggest working with a high quality audio store to help you configure the needed components.

I am a PC person and this is my first MAC computer. It is very easy to use and iTunes does a great job of managing the music. I hope the above helps. Cheers...