Ayre QB9 Twenty Upgrade


Hi Folks,I have an Ayre QB9 DSD DAC and I'm wondering about the new upgrade that Ayre is offering. It's cost is about $1500.00 so I'm not about to jump on the band wagon until I get some input about its sonic improvements. Currently, my QB9 has a Wireworld Platinum Starlight USB cable, Herbie's Tenderfeet, an Akiko XLR tuning stick, a Synergistic Research Blue Fuse, an ISO Regen with LP1 linear power source and an ASR Magic power cord. It sounds very neutral and very natural and I expect that I would ad those tweaks to the upgraded version as well. Any input about the sound differences would be greatly appreciated.Thanks!
goofyfoot

Showing 1 response by mitch2

If you like the sound, and trust the ears of the folks at Ayre, the upgrade could be a good option for you.  In addition to better sound, benefits would likely include a full check-up of the DAC as well as a restart of the warranty.

I am a big proponent of upgrades of gear that I already like, assuming I trust the manufacturer and their ability to move the sonic needle - i.e., to make stuff sound better.  However, with digital stuff like DACs, the technology has changed so fast that upgrading to something newer could result in a bigger improvement.  Also, if you don't quite like the sound now, I would not count on an upgrade to totally turn things around since it will likely be a refinement of the sound you already have.

Consider the upgrade cost is probably equal to the amount you would get for selling the DAC used.   Therefore, another option would be to sell the Ayre DAC and add your upgrade money leaving you around $3K to spend on a new/used dac.  There are some pretty good sounding (lightly used, current model) DACs out there in the $3-5K range used.