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

[GregGale]

I originally started with the Ayre K5xe and had the factory upgrade this unit to the mp status which made a significant improvement in the sound. I have lived with this preamplifier for over 10 years which has given me much satisfaction.

I just recently borrowed from my dealer the KX-5 Twenty to see what type of a difference this made in my system.

The difference was staggering. I always knew that a preamp can make a big difference in your system sound quality wise, but I was unprepared for the difference the new KX-5 Twenty made to my system.

Every single aspect of the sound improved from the lowest bass to the highest treble notes. Everything sounded much more alive and real, where I could hear more texture in the bass notes, vocals sounding more lifelike and treble with cymbals sounding clear and distinct.

I also noticed this could be enjoyed at lower sound levels as well versus I always felt the need to crank up the volume to be totally satisfied.

After I returned the unit and inserted my old K5xemp back into the system I did not feel that motivated to listen to my system. I ordered the new KX-5 Twenty and the wait was long (over 3 months) to receive it and when I inserted this into my system I was not that happy with the sound which was a bit brash and on the bright side sounding nothing like the dealers loaner unit that had many hours on it. I felt maybe I made a mistake by trading in my old unit and my dealer assured me it needs 200 to 300 hours break in on each input and then make a judgment and guaranteed me it would sound as good as his demo unit.

After playing for several weeks I started to hear improvement in the sound but still felt it was not up to the level it should be and now after several months of playing it has smoothed out even more. I was skeptical about improvements in sound with running in a unit, but I am now a believer.

The bottom line is I am very pleased with this new preamp which has made one of the biggest impacts in the improvement of sound quality in my system than any other single component I have purchased. I truly believe as JA stated from Stereophile that indeed the preamp is the "heart of the system". Highly recommended.