Ayon Triton Mono/Orthos II

[mg87]

I spoke to USA Tube Audio today about their Ayon KT88 based Class-A monos. I have found very little review or forum info out there but the specs and reviews that I have seen are great. Are there any owners here, past or present?

Are you using them in Pentode or Triode, why? How would you characterize the sonic signature and musical genre "sweet spot". I listen to everything so the pentode triode switching ability is interesting Auto biasing is a nice "bonus" feature (to me). Reliability, customer service, other considerations are also a important as I wouldn't consider it a "local" dealer.

The Orthos II has been upgraded (I think) to the Orthos XS (300w from 200w) which is probably unnecessary for my 14" x 20" listening area. Also the Triton 3 stereo unit looks pretty solid candidate as well.

I am planning to make the 9 hour drive to Scottsdale, AZ to check them out. The dealer seems to have a substantial inventory selection so I think the trip will be well worth it.

Thanks for any of your thoughts!

[bzr]

I haven't had the pleasure as yet of hearing these but usually when you can't find a bad word to be heard/read they are a good thing. I have heard that the amps you are talking about are accepted as a bargain for what you get & are rated highly.

[joeinid]

Originally Posted by bzr

I haven't had the pleasure as yet of hearing these but usually when you can't find a bad word to be heard/read they are a good thing. I have heard that the amps you are talking about are accepted as a bargain for what you get & are rated highly.

+1

[JayV]

I think I am one of the few (only?) Ayon amplifier owners on this forum, which I think is a bit of a shame. My Spirit III claims only 30 watts in triode / 50 in pentode but my local dealer is convinced that Ayon under-reports its power significantly. He measured the Spirit at 80watts in pentode. Anyway, I use it almost exclusively in triode mode. While pentode might be slightly more dynamic, triode offers improved space around instruments, an extremely realistic presentation of voices, and better micro-dynamics and timber. The "30" watts is more than enough to drive my Nola's even though they are only 86db efficient and my room is 20x26. I've never had the volume knob past 11AM and that was LOUD

As a point of reference, I directly A/B compared the Spirit III and Luxman 507u at the dealer with a variety of music and it wasn't even much of a contest. The Ayon bettered it in every area, especially tone and image density. I also auditioned the Viva Soloista and Boulder 865 which are both outstanding. I preferred the Viva (maybe I'm just a tube guy) to the Boulder, but the improvement over the Ayon was marginal at best. At 2x the price, it was a very easy decision for me.

At some point, I think I will move to separates, and I will definitely audition the upper end Ayon gear. I think a comparison of the Triton Monos and the ARC Ref 150 would be very interesting as both companies go for a modern sound using tubes. The Crossfire is particularly appealing to me as well...

Good luck with the audition, and let us know how it goes!

- Jay

[mg87]

Thanks All, The Ayon dealer offered to connect me with other owners from his customer base and I will follow up there once I have visited the store. The in store demos are helpful to me but I always feel like a real estate appraiser by making micro adjustments to my system reference to sum up if the demo will make a quantifiable benefit. Then, dis regarding the analysis and making the purchase ;-). I really like the forums because I can do the same process with a broad-base of info and slowly process a large spectrum of options. So, JayV thanks so much for your comparisons. The class A tube performance is really what I am making the drive to experience. Your room size and 86db comment makes me think Triton III stereo amp for me. I have 91 db SF Elipsa and a smaller room. The tubes are ultra expensive KT88z Black Treasures and can also use the KT120. More to follow...

[bzr]

Please keep us posted, look forward to hearing about your adventure into Ayon.