Ayre AX - 7E Integrated

[panditji]

Hi

Wanted to know if anybody has heard the above integrated amp and their opinion on the entry level amp from Ayre.... I am getting a 6 year old amp from the UK for Rs. 80,000 approx and was wondering if it would be a good match with my Compact 7s.....

 

[ranjeetrain]

Panditji, I haven't heard it, but I would suggest not to take this route, as it is not a popular choice. This is not to take anything away from Ayre, or it's product quality. Ayre is one of the upmarket brands and I am not questioning its calibre. But unless you know how it will work together with the rest of your system, it will be a risky buy. Considering that you will pay shipping + customs on the top of that money.

IMO, the amps that you should be targeting should be Exposure 2010, Primare I30, Naim Nait, Luxman class A vintage amps, old generation Accuphase integrateds. These all will come between INR 70-150k and will represent good value at their respective price points.

 

[square_wave]

Panditji, I haven't heard it, but I would suggest not to take this route, as it is not a popular choice. This is not to take anything away from Ayre, or it's product quality. Ayre is one of the upmarket brands and I am not questioning its calibre. But unless you know how it will work together with the rest of your system, it will be a risky buy. Considering that you will pay shipping + customs on the top of that money.

IMO, the amps that you should be targeting should be Exposure 2010, Primare I30, Naim Nait, Luxman class A vintage amps, old generation Accuphase integrateds. These all will come between INR 70-150k and will represent good value at their respective price points.

Hey Ranjeet,

Question from a curious soul.

Why should one prefer the Exposure 2010, Primare I30, Naim Nait over the Ayre to pair with the Harbeth ?

 

[ranjeetrain]

Many reasons. I did mention the most important of them in the post:

unless you know how it will work together with the rest of your system, it will be a risky buy.

So my major concern was matching. If you read reviews for that amp, you will find that components like those are quite fussy to matching.

All the amps that I suggested are proven amp, with good clean power and good clean sound. Those are more mainstream options with which chances of going wrong are less even as they are at lower price point.

Btw, I don't know if that's the thinking pattern behind your question, but, just because Ayre's SRP is 3k doesn't make it a better amp than a 2k Naim or a 1.5k Primare. Ayre products are not in the same league as more mainstream names and hence the value they offer is also according to the league they belong to. So, from the value perspective, I do have a reason to think an amp from a more mainstream brand (even at a slightly lower price point) will offer more for the money. Not to mention the Harbeths will be more appreciative of a British amp.

 

[longshanks]

I have read many positive user experiences of Naim with Harbeth.

 

[aashish351]

the most important trait of a good amp... it should offer uncolored amplification.

So if Ayre are good amps, why should they be doubted about system matching?

Ayre are certainly highly rated in Stereophile, but I guess a first hand experience is above all.

 

[ranjeetrain]

the most important trait of a good amp... it should offer uncolored amplification.

How many people will agree with that? There is a thread on this topic at this forum, look it up. You will be surprised to see just how many people disagree with that.

The biggest flaw with that definition of a "good amp" is that no one has authorized dealership in defining what is "uncolored amplification". Who defines uncolored amplification? Two amps both USD 2000+, both claiming a 20-20000 Hz +-0.5 dB. Yet they sound so different. Why? Which is offering uncolored amplification and which one is coloring the sound?

So if Ayre are good amps, why should they be doubted about system matching?

Because the higher you move in the chain, the more selective you need to be with matching. If that were not the case the high-end audio market will die. If all amps beyond a certain price point started to offer "uncolored amplification" there will be no competition left, nothing to achieve, just pay for the watts. But since that's not the case, it is a very obvious pointer that high-end systems don't become immune to matching.

Just because an amp costs 5k USD doesn't mean it will complement all speakers well.

 

[ajay124]

panditji

I have not auditioned an Ayre amp or cdp but I did consider buying an Ayre AX 7e and Ayre CX 7e before opting for gradually building an Esoteric SA-10+AI-10 combo. I didn't buy the Ayre AX 7e because I was not comfortable with its 120WPC/4 ohms ratings. You can consider the 7e if you are confident that it will be able to effortlessly drive your present speakers in your present listening room. You should keep it in mind that in the future you may shift to a speaker or a room which requires a more powerful amplification. Plus you need to upgrade your source as well.

 

[arj]

Panditji,
Please ask this question at the Harbeth forums first to find it the synergy. You may not have a choice but buy blind hence better know what you are getting into.
The Ayer is a great amp capable of driving much tougher loads hence power will not be an issue for you.it is also one of the better engineered amps..although pricing is high.

But as said above, you may find Naimmore to your liking and Naims are easily available in the uk.

 

[Staxxx]

+1 to Arj comments with regards to the build quality and power capacity of the Ayre amp. That is not going to be your issue (if it is in good condition). I have not heard that particular model but have had experience with their CD player, which was really considered very good and have heard other Ayre amps in dealerships in the UK.
I do think the Ayre and Naim house sounds are really very different though. I am not a fan of Naim (no offence), although I understand that many here are and the sense of PRAT with an all Naim system is very good. In fact its rather upfront sound signature may be a good match/balance for the Harbeths. To me the Ayre has always been more on the warmer side of neutral.

 

[murali]

Hi

Wanted to know if anybody has heard the above integrated amp and their opinion on the entry level amp from Ayre.... I am getting a 6 year old amp from the UK for Rs. 80,000 approx and was wondering if it would be a good match with my Compact 7s.....

As a Ayre owner for the last several years, I can vouch for their excellent products. I use the C-5xe as my single source and have been using the V-5xe power amp to drive my Vandy 2Ce till recently. Now that I moved to the Vandy Quatro, I find the V-5 slightly inadequate and hence got the Aesthetix Atlas amp. Considering the low-baller offerings for the V-5, I continue using it to drive my VCC-5 center speaker and rear back speaker.
Of course, I never tried their integrated A-5 but know for sure several people using it to drive low efficiency speakers like Vandys and Harbeth - both Monitors and Compacts. As far as I know, they are considered a good match with Harbeths.
Unlike several other electronics, Ayre shuns global feedback in their design and give some of the finest holographic sound through well designed speakers. If I am in your shoes, I will consider the A-5 (used) an excellent value at the price you have given. Amplifiers can run without serious issues for several years. My V-5 itself is around 7 years old and have no issues.
Rather than seeking advice from generalists, try to get the opinions of users of Ayre products before you make up your mind.
Good luck.

murali

 

[square_wave]

I am with murali and Arj here.

Spend some time in the harbeth forum and see what actual users have to say.

 

[vivek_r]

Hi, since these posts are as much about Harbeth as much as Ayre, I am reviving this (sorry for waking up a long buried post, and apologies to Ayre googles).

I have tried the Harbeth Compact 7ES3 with the following amps and here are my comments. Also note that there have been tweaks I have done along the way (cables, stands, tubes - you all know how that goes) and in different places and so there may be some wrong bias as well.

1. LFD Mk 3 - a popular pairing and many common dealers. The sound was lovely, albeit a bit warm. How I wish I can hear this pairing again after all the tweaks I have made.

2. Leben 300xs - somehow the combination is not so good, resulting in a slightly boxy sound (meaning lower frequencies emphasised), and not doing justification to either. I have changed the tubes to the Telefunken 12AX7 and that cleaned up significantly. Overall, not the greatest of match - two beautiful people who should not be married to each other! (Try Leben with say a Spendor SP1 and see how much lovely it sounds. Or Focals).

3. Cayin A88 belonging to my friend BPD - NICE! The sweet sound of the Cayin seemed a great match for the Harbeth. Boxiness was gone. Note my friend uses KT120 tubes in his Cayin.

4. Audio Research integrated vsi60 belonging to BPD again - Really robust sound and solid drive. I did find the combination a bit bright in the treble compared to the Cayin, but my friend preferred the Audio Research. YMMV!

5. Symphonic Line RG14 - another great amp that caused the Harbeth to boogie. If you listed to jazz and pop, a great combination. Some sibilance though.

6. Clones 25i - It costs nothing (a relative nothing, not an absolute nothing!) and is 25W per channel. Pestered my sister to get it for me from Hong Kong and well worth the strain! This amp, along with the LM DAC and the speaker stand mod that I did (a stand with no middle portion where the speaker sits) makes the Harbeth sing. Not audiophile tick boxing of everything, but musically a great pairing - manages to handle Shostakovich's angst about Stalin and Art Pepper sweetly blowing "You'd be so nice to come home to" with equanimity and not boxy at all. The LM DAC with a higher voltage tube output also helps.

In conclusion, I would say pair the Harbeth Compact 7 with relatively powerful amps - fast or sweet sounding amps and not lush or warm sounding amps. Take care with the stands (thanks a lot BPD!) - see my forum posts on it elsewhere. Enjoy the music!

PS. Would also love to try the much raved about Jobsys amp as well (note to self: starve for next year or more and save for their integrated).

 

[panditji]

Thanks Vivek...very helpful for Harbeth owners...

 

[gnanasekhar]

I am waiting for a long time to find an Ayre V-5XE

 

[Naturelover]

I am waiting for a long time to find an Ayre V-5XE

Are you looking for preowned? Because there is a dealer in India.
https://www.ayre.com/dealers.htm

 

[gnanasekhar]

Yes, I am looking for Pre-owned.