Ayre V-5xe/K-5xeMP or Modwright KWA-150/LS-100?

Thanks for reply Stringreen. Vandersteen to my ears captures the emotion of the music - hard not to tap your foot when listening to a pair. Not sure what it is about them that are special (timing, frequency range, staging) but they are special. If I didn't have Maggies the 5As would be on my short list for sure - and I think Richard Vandersteen is one of the good guys who doesn't charge exorbitant amounts. He pushes the sonic edge of the envelop without punishing consumers with crazy luxury prices. I appreciate the comments about customer service and glad to hear Ayre is great at it. I've experienced the same with Dan Wright at Modwright - in fact his whole crew especially his Ops manager is awesome. Other brands with exceptional service/consumer orientation: Keith Herron at Herron Audio (I could write a book on how patiently he has helped me), Kevin Hayes at VAC (just ordered new VAC amp based not least among other things VACs service/reliability), John at Audience (hero status in my book...will share his passion and knowledge freely), and Peter at Symposium. We are lucky in the US to have designer/manufacturers who care about the audiophile consumer versus just turning a quick buck.

Also, both companies offer top notch customer service. You can't go wrong in that department with either.

I have not heard modwrighr but can say I do own ayre C5xeMP and Ayre K5xe. The ayre staff has been top notch throughout the buying process. The ayre is very detailed but not analytical. The instruments are also very focused with a wide stage. I fully disagree with Pod, one of the main things ayre is know for is it's lack of digital sound. I would highly recommend the Ayre system.

I heard the Ayre at a dealer where I bought my Maggies...it might have been the source or room or cables (nordost), but the sound was etchy and flat. People who have heard the same Maggies in my setup versus the same dealer reach the same conclusions...I assumed the major difference was the Ayre stereo amp they were using.

Pod, that's odd as I have them paired with maggies but not those cables and have no "flatness".