Used Ayre amp market pricing

The one good thing about the VX-5 is that it can upgraded to a VX-5 twenty later on at a reasonable price.

I installed a K-5xeMP preamp yesterday that replaced a Cary Cinema 12 processor.  I'm using a 30-year-old Proceed Amp 2 to drive a pair of KEF LS50s.  Sources are an Oppo 105 and Sony HAP-Z1ES.  All connections are balanced.  The sound quality is excellent, with sufficient LF extension that I don't miss the subs.  The Ayre preamp is a big improvement over the Cary processor.  I'll continue to look for a VX-5 not V-5xe, but the dual monoblock Amp 2 is serving well so I'm in no hurry.  The setup appears clutter-free, with everything fitting in the cabinet and without the subs and bass manager.  I suspect replacing the Amp 2 with a VX-5 will not have the impact replacing the Cary C12 with the Ayre K-5 had.

Btw, it seems like a bit of over kill to power up a pair of KEF LS50s.  Hee hee...You might want to starting look for a used pair of Vandies to advantage of all that Ayre gear you're collecting :).      

You'd be surprised how good the LS50s sound in the setup.  I have a setup that uses KEF Reference 107/2s and 204/2C driven by 3 Parasound JC 1s.  The stereo preamp in that setup is a JC 2 BP, surround processor a Bryston SP-3.  Sources are vinyl through a JC 3, Ayre C-5xeMP, Oppo 105D, and Esoteric SA-60 disc players.  The setup use a pair of 15" subs for surround and HT, but not for stereo.

Very nice set up. I did hear the LS50s and they do sound very good for the price performance. I really do enjoy the KEF sound.  I haven't heard many Parasound components but when I did they were solid.  The Vandy + Ayre combo is pretty special so if you haven't heard them together, I hope you get a chance.  Good luck in your hunt!