Ayre L-5xe Line Filter

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Does anyone have any experience with the performance of the Ayre L-5xe Line Filter? How does it compare to the Shunyata power conditioners? I've always been a fan of Ayre components and they seem to be one of the only high-end audio manufacturers producing a line conditioner.

Thanks,
Ken

[elihu11]

I would love to know if anyone else has a comparison.

[Kingsrule]

Don't most of the Ayre products already have the line filter built in?

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by g997

Don't most of the Ayre products already have the line filter built in?

I remember reading that that KX-R does in the Stereophile review.

Ken

[harri009]

Every Ayre component except possibly the 7 series has the Ayre conditioner line filter built in.

[imprezap2]

CX7e MP also has the filter, other 7 components I have never owned

[jax4736]

Today I bought a Shunyata Triton and two Anaconda Zitron Power Cords. Took out the L-5xe. One Anaconda connects the Triton to the wall, my amplifier goes straight into the wall with its own Anaconda.

Wow. What a huge leap up in quality. But the cost was so much more than the L-5. Deathly quiet, black backgrounds. Deeper bass. Purer tones from the music. Pretty flabbergasted....

[PlanarSpeakerFan]

Originally Posted by jax4736

Today I bought a Shunyata Triton and two Anaconda Zitron Power Cords. Took out the L-5xe. One Anaconda connects the Triton to the wall, my amplifier goes straight into the wall with its own Anaconda.

Wow. What a huge leap up in quality. But the cost was so much more than the L-5. Deathly quiet, black backgrounds. Deeper bass. Purer tones from the music. Pretty flabbergasted....

Hi Jax,

Congrats on your Triton! A very nice component. Does the Triton do a better job of smoothing out the highs than the L-5xe? That appears to be what Charles Hansen was specifically shooting for. I'm kind of leaning away from the L-5xe because it does not have a built-in surge protector. Adding a surge protector in front of the L-5xe could degrade the performance.

For me, I think it's going to be between the Audience aR6-TSS and the Shunyata Triton. There are a few things about the aR6-TSS that appeal to me, including a 10-year warranty, it can be upgraded and non-MOV surge protection. But the stellar performance of the Triton makes it hard to resist.

Best,
Ken

[jax4736]

My Shunyata Power cords are still breaking in...but this is a very engaging sound. Treble seems smoother, but my biggest thing is the very quiet noise floor. Many more details can be heard in all types of recordings. It's most impressive when things are really quiet in the recording. Quite shocking, how much closer to the real thing this is.

I'm toying with adding the Typhon next...

[RLF]

Originally Posted by jax4736

Today I bought a Shunyata Triton and two Anaconda Zitron Power Cords. Took out the L-5xe. One Anaconda connects the Triton to the wall, my amplifier goes straight into the wall with its own Anaconda. Wow. What a huge leap up in quality. But the cost was so much more than the L-5. Deathly quiet, black backgrounds. Deeper bass. Purer tones from the music. Pretty flabbergasted....

Although I have never auditioned or owned either the Triton or L-5xe, I was told by my Ayre/Shunyata dealer that the Shunyata power conditioners trounce the L-5 in their listening experiences. That being said, from my experience, one must audition any power conditioner or power regenerator in their own system to glean any benefits or degradation in sound quality. Different products can have different effects between and among different components interacting in one's system. Again, that is just from what I have experienced with different conditioners. Just my 2cents on this subject.