Full QX-5 Twenty information finally on Ayre's web site!

[BillK]

I think it's obvious that no one should ever base a purchase upon reviews or what other people have to say about what something sounds like.

Rather they are all just tools to narrow down what to listen to; even if you lived in a major metropolis I suspect it would be impossible to source even the top five best reviewed DACs for audition, something that gets far more difficult the smaller the originating company and/or the more expensive the piece.

[ctsooner]

Bill you are totally correct. I went out on a huge limb by buying a DAC by a one person shop based on a long thread on another board. I'm glad I did though. I have met some great guys because of it in addition to having a GREAT DAC. I still don't know if the Ayre will better my old one, but based on what I keep getting told I will not be unhappy. I've been blessed to get to hear most of the top rated DAC's in the world. TotalDac is the only one I haven't heard and it's one I'd like to hear for many reasons, but I still won't buy it. I don't want to have to ship a product overseas to get it fixed etc...I really want easy of use and a company to back up their products even if it's out of warranty. I know for a fact that Alex at Ayre will stand by his products in a big way. They have so much R&D that the power to purchase their components at a MUCH greater price break than the guy making 50 DACs that it makes evens any part of the play field of cutting out the distributor or a brick and mortar shop.

Folks always say that a 13k DAC will beat out the 9k DAC(I'm using specific DACS for this purpose, lol) It may, but it may not as the smaller company has a totally different cost set up than the larger company. The larger company has economy of scale and I know for a fact, that just the isolated ethernet board can be 750 less for the larger company than the small one. That even's out that playing field etc...also the engineering of the larger company can be absorbed by many more units than the smaller company.

Sorry didn't mean to get off track here, but this thread will keep going and we have to take some time before we hear some more feedback. Hopefully I'll get something new today to post. Thanks

[BillK]

Originally Posted by ctsooner

Folks always say that a 13k DAC will beat out the 9k DAC(I'm using specific DACS for this purpose, lol) It may, but it may not as the smaller company has a totally different cost set up than the larger company. The larger company has economy of scale and I know for a fact, that just the isolated ethernet board can be 750 less for the larger company than the small one. That even's out that playing field etc...also the engineering of the larger company can be absorbed by many more units than the smaller company.

Never use price as a determining factor; I've auditioned a lot of components over time that were very well reviewed only to find they paled compared to equipment half their cost and years older.

For example, I recently auditioned an ARC Ref 9 CD player/DAC and when compared to my five year old Wadia S7i, it… fell flat. Not as much soundstage, not as musical but probably my choice if my Wadia died.

That's why I'm looking forward to hearing the QX-5 Twenty in a controlled environment, to see if that still holds true or if the Wadia still outclasses even the Ayre piece.

[ctsooner]

Bill, most of us would agree with you statement. I really have liked the Wadia gear over the years. Especially in the beginning and then when the engineers ended up buying the company. It's too bad they have had to go through what they have as it's one of the best digital companies in audio.

I LOVE AR gear, but not their digital. If you are a tube guy, the Aesthetix Romulus Eclipse is the piece you want to check out. That said, the QX5 (again based on the dealers ear) is killing it. He has the Ref 9 and Aesthetix in the room with the Ayre. He also was a WAdia dealer of years. He's going on memory of course, but he feels strongly this is the best digital piece he's heard and it's not close. He sells Berk Ref 2 and has had all the big name digital guys bring in their top DAC's for him to sell. The thing I think the new double diamond/double filtered gear does is sound natural. The have so much money for R&D along with economy of scale that most of the others don't have. I too can't wait to get down there to listen, but I also have a friend who's ear I know (we listen differently, but we understand where the other comes from. when we agree on a component, then I think it's safe to say it is probably a winner) and he says this DAC is killer and punching against anything on the market that he's heard. To me, it was a bold statement and I won't believe it until I hear it in person.

I hope you get to do your comparison and share it. I also spoke with a manufacturer who is working with his own ESS pro chip that he got ahold of. It doesn't have the Ayre filtering as that's proprietary, but he said this chip is as special as it gets. I also know that the Mytek Manhattan will be using it too. I have a feeling it's going to be a game changer on so many levels. Time will tell as will our ears, lol.

[ctsooner]

UPDATE.

I NEED to get down to hear this thing. Yes, this is second hand from someone who knows his stuff.
Razor sharp, MUSICAL, not fatiguing nor harsh on top. Just a huge soundstage or smaller if that's what's recorded. He has many recordings that he uses that come from venues he's familiar with and he knows how it was processed. Bass digs as deep as it gets and it gets the notes correct.
Compared to the Dave that he also knows well. It equals the Dave in the airy high end. Delicately presenting the higher notes with plenty of air around them. It also gets the percussive on the cymbal's and piano, but they are presented like you are there. The Dave is one of the better DACs on the market regardless of cost. The one thing that most designers of digital will tell you is that as great as their DAC's are from the mid's up, they lack in the bass for some reason. Probably the power supply. The Ayre gets the whole spectrum correct. It's a coherent sound that you expect from the Ayre products.

Compared to the Berkley Ref 2 DAC, the Ayre is better on all accounts and it's not close. The Berkley is a very laid back DAC. I feel the same way and I've very familiar with it. Some may like the Berkley better, but if you really listen he says the Ayre gives you any magic the Berk ref 2 has, but it takes it all to a new level. This new chip is exciting on many fronts and it sounds like it's a game changer. I won't be able to get down to listen in person until I get back from a ton of trips this coming month, but I'm supposed to hear one while traveling. It's breaking in now and should have plenty of hours on it once I get there.

The QX5 Twenty my friend has isn't fully broken in. He says he can hear new things every night when he goes into listen after the store closes. It has well in excess of 500 hours. Seems like this one should keep getting tighter and opening up even more at least until 1000 hours. Crazy as it sounds, this is what the new capacitors etc.. need to fully open up. I'm hearing the same things from friends who are breaking in Duland caps etc. for their own products.

[Blackstone]

This thread is NOT helping me. lol

[ctsooner]

Originally Posted by Blackstone

This thread is NOT helping me. lol

What kind of help do you need Blackstone? LOL.....

Yes, neither of us will be upset over this purchase and I got rid of one of the best DAC's on the market, the Empirical Audio to get this one. Now I have to figure out what server I will use. I know I'm going to optimize the ethernet connections on the QX5 Twenty. I want Roon also if I can. I may use a Melco server with the matching Buffalo optical drive. If not, then I'll set up the QNAP 471 NAS with Roon running on a SSD in bay one and then run the erst of the bays with Raid 1 and the 4th in back up mode like they say on the site. This may be the best way as I'm also going to use the optical cable connection with converter to get rid of the EMI/RF. I'll probably get a set of the Audioquest Diamond Ethernet cables for all the ethernet connections. Possibly Vodka depending on cost.

I can't wait. Glad I"m gone most of the month of Sept for football games to OK, lol...and then a trip to Vegas with wife (her work). That way I can go visit audio shops and have fun and stop worrying about delivery .

[Blackstone]

My snarky dealer promised I would have it by the Superbowl!

[ctsooner]

Superbowl? Cool, can't wait.

Ok, I get a call late last night. My friends QX has well over 500 hours on it. He took it out of the room with the Vandersteen 7's and the MRX and KRX.

He put it in another room with Quartos, VX5 Twenty and the KX5 Twenty with AQ silver cabling and the Audio Research 9 as a spinner.

He was in awe as to how great it sounded. He said that on one track it was like the harp was in the room. I immediately asked why he was listening to anything with a harp, lol. Kidding. He said it was the best digital sound he's ever heard and was in shock. It was dynamic, resolving yada yada. Then he tells me that he had a broken in Berkley ref 2 in the same room and system. He said it was really nice and some may like it better, but it was way too polite vs the QX5. Said the Ayre was more realistic and lifelike. One of his better customers was with him as he had purchased the Berkley from him a few months ago.

I know someone doesn't like that I'm parroting what someone else is sharing, so I'll just say that the owner of the 20k Berkley wants to know if anyone here would like to purchase a mint one at a good price, lol...

[Blackstone]

It was a ruse. It has arrived!!!!!!! Details to come I may make a new thread.