Surround setup problem

I don't know what specifically the HDMI cable is, except it seems much more substantial than the cable it replaces.  The sound with Blue-rays, both music and cinema, is superb.  I was surprised that a setup aimed at the reproduction of music, Ayre 5 series, KEF Reference 1s, Velodyne HGS-15s, could portray the special effects in Casino Royale so well.

I think that surround sound, done properly, is a great equalizer financially  A mid fi surround system can enhance many recordings, particularly if they were correctly produced with respect to ambience, etc.  One doesn't need a megabucks setup to get most of this enjoyment, although as with anything it generally improves as one goes up the price scale

I’ve listened many times to a Blu-ray (Thielemann with the Wiener Philharmoniker) of the 2nd movement of Beethoven’s 7th symphony, both in stereo and surround. I always prefer surround. That was as true with my previous setup of Parasound J2 by-pass, Bryston SP3, JC-1 monoblocks, and KEF Reference 107/2s as it is with my current setup of Ayre KX-5/20 by-pass, SP3, VX-5/20. and KEF Reference 1s. An Ayre DX-5 DSD was the disc player with bass managed Velodyne HGS-15s for both setups. Same preference holds true for the "Legends of Jazz" Blu-ray, also listened to many times.

I’d like to make some HDMI cable recommendations for your Ayre DX-5 DSD player. Since you don’t actually know what cable you’re using, it’s probably not super high end (but I could be wrong).

The best "new" cable for the money is Nordost Heimdall 2 HDMI. Always get a 2 meter HDMI cable even though you don’t need the length. A short 1 meter HDMI cable will have problems with lack of high frequency response and also video sharpness due to signal reflects on such a short cable. Retail for a 2M Heimdall HDMI is $800 (unless you can find a dealer who can give a little discount).

If you don’t want to spend that much, you can try to find an old Wire World Starlight 5-2 or Starlight 6. These are excellent cables and the larger 24awg conductors will give better bass response. However, the sound might have a little bright edge because the copper is not as good the Nordost. The Heimdall has better overall audio/video quality, but not quite as strong in the deep bass (it’s a smaller 25awg conductor).

There is a used Silver Starlight 5-2 on ebay from Poland for $200 USD:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wireworld-Silver-Starlight-5-Reference-HDMI-cable-1m-silver-hi-end-HDMI-cab...

The Silver Starlight 5-2 is the only HDMI cable I have seen to use OCC copper conductors. However, this one from Poland is only 1 meter. That being said, I think this cable would potentially still be highly superior to what you have anyways if you didn’t want to "try" the Nordost with $800 retail. If you can find a 2 meter Silver Starlight 5-2, grab it before somebody else does. The Silver Starlight 5-2 is the second best cable I have tested and used (in some ways better than Heimdall). The Heimdall can be less harsh sounding on bad source components because it doesn’t have as thick of a silver clad/plate.

WARNING: don’t buy any Wire World cables that use the newer DNLA Helix design. The Helix uses 2 x 26awg conductors FOR EACH hdmi SIGNAL PIN. This actually isn’t as good as the 24awg single conductors. I’ve tested these. I think it’s partially due to smaller conductors and also timing errors due to unequal length of these 2x26 awg conductors that are twisted in a non-linear way.

The absolute best cable I have tried is Nordost Valhalla HDMI, but you would really want the absolute best outcome to spend this much (2 meter is $4k retail). However, there is no other cable that competes with this.

I was disappointed with Audioquest HDMI cables.

I bought the cable from Poland.  The cable I'm using has endpoints that look very like those of the Nordost cables,  It's got some sort of greenish material on the outside, and it's fairly thick.