Upgraded from Ayre K5xemp to Ayre KX-5 Twenty short review

[BillK]

My KX-R was only about eight months old when the Twenty upgrade was announced, and when I demoed the Twenty the improvement was so large, if I had heard the latter first I never would have purchased the former.

That Ayre even allows you to upgrade is a sign of their commitment to their customers.

[will]

I was informed by my dealer that the prices for the KX-5 and VX-5 Twenties went up to $9950, respectively, earlier this month.

[ctsooner]

Guys, I have no skin other than owning Ayre gear. I had a QX5 for a few months and then sent it back for the 20 upgrade (knew about the upgrade and got a dealers demo the day I found out knowing I'd send it in). It too is a totally different component. Not even close to the original other than they both sound great. The price difference is MORE than worth it if you have the funds. JMHO.

[will]

My dealer has agreed to take my K-5xeMP on trade-in for the KX-5 Twenty, so going to place the order in a bit.




Order placed, woohoo.

[Tecknik1]

I think you mean your AX 5 CT.

[ctsooner]

Tech, yes, I remembered that last night after shutting down the computer. Welcome to my MS world, lol.

[Billion$Baby]

Originally Posted by Bar81

Of course - I purchased the KX-R just after its release and then upgraded to the Twenty years later. I'm intimately familiar with both pieces each over several years.

The KX-R Twenty is not an upgrade, it's not "better", it's a completely different preamp that shames the original release.

Here is one of the comments I found I was referring to in my earlier post.(Steve Hoffman Forum) Anyway...I might be picking up a KX-R Twenty tomorrow. Working on a trade...Fingers crossed.


"You may want to give the 20 version a listen at home if possible David.
The reason I'm saying that is because I also have the original KX-R pre. When the 20 version first came out a friend purchased one, after a long run-in period I borrowed it from him and demoed both back to back at home for about 2 weeks. After much listening I preferred the original, but just barely. As wonderful as the new 20 was it was just a tad to sterile sounding. Don't get me wrong the two were very, very close sounding but the original KX-R added just the right amount of warmth, for my ears. Both ( audio type ) friends that were in attendance agreed, including the owner of the KX-R 20.
I don't know how the 20 combo would sound together in comparison, as I chose and prefer a Levinson power amp with my KX-R."

[BillK]

Originally Posted by Billion$Baby

"You may want to give the 20 version a listen at home if possible David.
The reason I'm saying that is because I also have the original KX-R pre. When the 20 version first came out a friend purchased one, after a long run-in period I borrowed it from him and demoed both back to back at home for about 2 weeks. After much listening I preferred the original, but just barely. As wonderful as the new 20 was it was just a tad to sterile sounding. Don't get me wrong the two were very, very close sounding but the original KX-R added just the right amount of warmth, for my ears. Both ( audio type ) friends that were in attendance agreed, including the owner of the KX-R 20.

The Twenty in this scenario likely had not run in enough.

One of the areas in which the Twenty is head and shoulders above the original is in terms of warmth and soundstage, with the original KX-R sounding slightly cold and bright, something I never even noticed until I compared it directly with the Twenty.

Depending upon the age of the Levinsons in question, I could see where an older Levinson might make a good match with an original KX-R as the former's darker presentation might go well with the original KX-R's slight edge.

[ctsooner]

Bill, it's funny as that was my concern with the earlier Ayre products. I liked, but didn't love them. I am sensitive to bright sounding gear as many can figure out by my posts. I'm so careful with system matching. I only purchased the AX5 when I did as I knew I would be in the first batch for updates (got it from a dealer).

[Billion$Baby]

Originally Posted by BillK

The Twenty in this scenario likely had not run in enough.

One of the areas in which the Twenty is head and shoulders above the original is in terms of warmth and soundstage, with the original KX-R sounding slightly cold and bright, something I never even noticed until I compared it directly with the Twenty.

Depending upon the age of the Levinsons in question, I could see where an older Levinson might make a good match with an original KX-R as the former's darker presentation might go well with the original KX-R's slight edge.

Thanks for the input. I just bought a Used one today for 12K +NIB Pair of Revel F208's...so I guess 15K total. Looking forward to getting it!