I tried an I-5 with my Totem Hawks and found the sound to be somewhat thin and fatiguing to listen to after awhile. In my system, the Hawks sounded their best with at least 125 WPC of high current solid state amplification paired with a quality tube preamplifier. The SS/tube pairing brings out the best attributes of the Hawks--the amazing bass output and liquid midrange.
Simaudio I5 to separates?
I've been considering whether moving from my I5 to separates would be a worthwhile move. While I quite enjoy the sound from the I5, my only complaint would be a slight bloat in the upper bass/lower midrange area. Other than that, I really like its presentation.
That being said, I was quite taken aback upon hearing an all-Ayre system a year ago at the Montreal audio show - it was a full-5 system (ie, KX-5e, VX-5e and CX-5e). It had everything that I like about a high-end system - solid, authoritative bottom end, "you are there" liquid midrange and sparkling highs. The speakers were Sonus Faber Cremonas.
So...would my system take a significant step in that direction by moving to Ayre separates in place of my I5? Or would Sim's separates offer this same type of sound? Or am I going off on a wild goose chase, where I will spend a lot of $$ and not hear a lot of difference without also changing speakers?
Surely the I5 is popular, so if you had one and moved to separates - where did you go and what were the results?
FYI - my speakers are Totem Hawks, cdp is Ayre CX-7e, turntable is a Gyro SE with Graham 2.2 tonearm and Benz L2 cartridge with Sim LP5.3 phono stage.
That being said, I was quite taken aback upon hearing an all-Ayre system a year ago at the Montreal audio show - it was a full-5 system (ie, KX-5e, VX-5e and CX-5e). It had everything that I like about a high-end system - solid, authoritative bottom end, "you are there" liquid midrange and sparkling highs. The speakers were Sonus Faber Cremonas.
So...would my system take a significant step in that direction by moving to Ayre separates in place of my I5? Or would Sim's separates offer this same type of sound? Or am I going off on a wild goose chase, where I will spend a lot of $$ and not hear a lot of difference without also changing speakers?
Surely the I5 is popular, so if you had one and moved to separates - where did you go and what were the results?
FYI - my speakers are Totem Hawks, cdp is Ayre CX-7e, turntable is a Gyro SE with Graham 2.2 tonearm and Benz L2 cartridge with Sim LP5.3 phono stage.