AYRE VX-5 TWENTY- WHICH TUBE PREAMP MATCHS


Hello,

I am wondering which tube preamps are recommended with Ayre VX-5 amp.?
Speakers are Magnepan 1.7i

Any suggestions would be highy appreciated.





dvinkl
Ayre is especially good with balanced preamps.  The Ayre preamps, Aesthetix, and Rogue RP-7 all click those boxes.
Currently I am using Spendor D9 speakers.  Also I agree with drew_k that you want to stay balanced with Ayre.  I currently use the Ayre Codex DAC but my QX5/20 will arrive tomorrow.  Audience AU24SX XLR cables connect the system.
In order to really get all you can out of the amp you do need a balanced preamp as you've already surmised. But what most people don't realize is that there is a balanced standard; and that this standard is there to prevent ground loops and also prevent your interconnect cables from imposing a sonic fingerprint. If you've ever auditioned cables to see which is better then you know what I mean.

So I would always check with the manufacturer to see if the preamp supports the standard. Most tube and many solid state preamps don't.  This is why there is a controversy about balanced line; there would be none if all the gear supported the standard.

in the other hand I am afffraid to lose openness, dynamic and holographic sound I have with K-1xe preamp.

If would expect this to be improved by a tube preamp.

Good point, Atmosphere.  I assume you mean by “balanced standard” that there are conpanies that incorporate XLR jacks but that they have single ended circuitry, as opposed to fully balanced designs such as those by Ayre and Aestestix?

I had XLRs on my former preamp, a Modwright LS100.  They were there to permit using XLR cables but they were not balanced, and there would be no sonic benefit to using them.