Ayre K-5xe preamp? How close to K-1xe?

I got the Ayre K-1xe and I am so happy with it! Best hifi investment I ever made. And it is very compatable with my Home Theatre gear. It is broken in now and I am using it with the Ayre C-5xe player, two Linn Klimax 500 Solo amps, Wilson Sophia 2s, and an Aerial SW-12 sub. It is my dream system and has taken me a lifetime to acquire it, but in every way I am thrilled and delighted with it.

Congrats!

I am sure you will continue to enjoy the Ayre.
It is truly a top notch preamp, and one of the very best solid state preamps made, IMHO.

Now, all you need to do is buy the phono boards, and get an analog setup and your road to audio nirvana will be complete! (Well okay, my road to audio nirvana ended that way, FWIW!)

Have fun and I am glad you enjoy it!

I continue to struggle with the idea of getting the phono board. Based on what I've read, vinyl looks like it's a pain to take care of. I am also turned off by the selection of music (or lack thereof) in the genres I tend to enjoy. I've also seen some very outrageous prices for some LPs vs CDs. The ability to quickly fast forward to the track I want or rewind to hear it again without getting up appeals to me in a big way. However, I must admit, I have never used anything other than a CD player in my system so perhaps my lack of experience with LPs falls into the, "ignorance is bliss category." Perhaps someone can enlighten and convert me.

I, for one, have never had vinyl out of my system, but I'm an old f@rt and had a rather large collection of LPs to begin with. I'd be the first to admit, though, that it is indeed a pain. Unless you're willing to spend a fair amount of time with setup, maintenance, and cleaning, don't do it - really. And yes, new vinyl can get comparatively expensive.

Do you have a friend who owns a good turntable setup? Seems to me that a great way to compare would be to beg/borrow/purchase both the LPs and CDs of the same material and compare. Sure, you might say "it's not for me" and have a few unneeded LPs on your hands, but compare that with the cost of making the financial commitment of table, arm, and cartridge and it starts to look pretty cheap. You can always sell the things for 80% of what you paid for them. We LP lovers are suckers for "played once" ads :-)

Vinyl IS a pain in the a**, but even so, and w/ potentially limited selection- it can take musical bliss to a whole new level. Even w/ my Linn LP12/Rega RB-600/Benz Micro Ace w/ stock cable set-up ($1500 w/ table being used), I can often enjoy lp's more than the same cd recordings on my Ayre Cx7e, a great cdp at 3K. Keep in mind, though, that if you were to get a Linn, you'd need someone skilled in its set-up. Also, a good isolation rack is necessary for most turntables, and adds to the price. I think there's a turntable including tonearm, the Pro-ject RM-9.1, for $1500 which is supposed to be quite a good new entry; Rega also makes great starting tables. For someone w/ a high-end system wishing to give vinyl a "fair shake," I'd suggest 2K for table, arm, and cart (1500 for tbl/arm- VPI scout is also supposed to be quite good, maybe 5-700 for cartridge, plus a beginning lp cleaning system, plus lp's ordered from Acoustic Sounds or Music Direct (check out their websites- the first company is especially helpful) or from ebay, or even regional stores. I've been able to get at least 2/3rds of my classical, rock, jazz, r & b, world music, and such on lp's. If you're willing to pay5-7K or more for a set-up, you begin to get into sound that in many respects no cd player I know of at any price can beat (on most recordings).