My P-5xe arrived. I installed it Thursday and have spent about 6 or so hours listening to it. My immediate impression was that it is very detailed, much more so than the phono stage it replaced (the phono section of an Arcam A80 integrated). That detail also gives it a bright sound. It's brighter than I would like. But my dealer warned me when I picked it up that the Ayre requires break-in of at least 100 hours. He explicitly warned that the phono stage may sound "mechanical" until it breaks in. He also said to expect better bass. He wasn't kidding. I'm hearing much deeper and tighter bass, particularly on jazz and classical recordings. As for detail, on an Oscar Peterson Recording (We Get Requests) I hear Oscar humming along in sections while he plays. I did not hear that when I spun this disc through the Arcam.
My only complaint is the brightness, which should tame with break-in. In all other ways the phono stage is a winner. The increase in resolution over the old amp is astounding. It also increased the dynamics of the recording. When Oscar hits the keys harder, the music sounds fuller and more robust rather than simply louder. Piano is particularly noticeably better. So are strings, which have a more 3D sound than before. The front-to-back sound staging is impressive. And the amp has done amazing things for classical recordings. An Analogue Productions reissue of the Shaded Dog Scheherazade used to sound very good. Now it sounds exceptional, with a much wider soundstage, greater dynamic range, more delicate solo violin, and horns that sound real, alive, and in the room. It now sounds like the recording so many reviewers raved about.
Associated equipment: Clearaudio Emotion CMB with Benz Micro Silver cartridge, Ayre K-5xe MP preamp, Ayre V-5xe power amp, B&W Nautilus 803 speakers
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