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#1
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Any experience with Ayon Audio preamps?
I really enjoy my Pass labs electronics (XP27 phono, XP22 preamp, XA60.8 amps) but lately, I've been curious about trying a tube preamplifier in the $10,000 - $15,000 range (new or used). I need a balanced design with a remote. I'm looking to keep the transparency, dynamics, and detail of the Pass preamp but add some tube liquidity, 3D, and warmth.
The Ayon Auris II was recently suggested to me by someone who also sells Pass labs. But I can't find any professional reviews or measurements other than brief show reports. Does anyone here have experience with Ayon preamps? Other tube preamps on my list include VAC Signature SE or maybe Zesto Leto II. Thanks, Dave
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SF Stradivari, Aric Audio Motherlode XL preamp and Super KT Parallel amps; Pass XP 27, Raven One TT, Graham Phantom II arm, Lyra Etna Lamda, Airtight PC1, Bryston 3.14 DAC, Transparent Reference & Wireworld, dedicated treated room 17 X 34 X 9 Last edited by daveneumann; 01-04-2022 at 08:25 PM. |
#2
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Not quite the same thing but my Ayon CD5S has an analog tube preamp using 6H30s
I thought it was pretty close to my original Audio Research Ref 5 but it was outclassed by the 5SE and 6 that I upgraded to. It did have the option of adjustable high or low gain which is great - that low gain should come in handy with high gain power amps like Pass. It does have a fairly high output impedance so just check what the input impedance of the Pass is.
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AcousSignThunderTA5000PurpleHeartNS WandMasterPearwoodII PSA DSD BHK ThielCS3.7SS2.2 |
#3
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I have the Ayon Auris II. It replaced a PS Audio BHK preamp. It was the single biggest improvement I have ever made to my system beyond my speakers. I was using it with the BHK 300 amplifiers which sounded really great but because I like the Ayon preamp so much I bought the Ayon Evo Epsilon monoblock amps to go with it. Now everything is even better.
I have never owned Pass gear so I can not compare to what you own. Looking at the output impedence on the Auris and your XA60.8's input impedence, no concern in regards to impedence mismatch. Build quality of Ayon gear is very good. On par with the Jeff Rowland gear I have owned and much better than the PS Audio. The remote is aluminum and feels good. It is small but I like that because I keep it in my pocket. Good luck. |
#4
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I have the Ayon S3 , which is a network player/Dac/Pre and over the years have used it in exactly that order. Never failed to amaze me. The tube pre section is completely Feedback free , now playing in an all feedback free chain which Metrum Dac , S3, Ayre VXR and it sounds very dynamic and open and alive with great purity of tone , also very good fast deep bass which may be a bit of a surprise . The Metrum added a great amount of joy to the playback which the Ayon as pre did not hide from me . When I bought it I listened to it in two systems comprising SF Aida and Lansche 7 with plasma tweeter and both sounded just incredible, never felt the ayon was a weak link there, quite the opposite , also importantly, in many years now it never failed on me or had any issues . I’d say give it a listen if you can , cheers
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#5
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Thanks doggiehowser & kaarmstrong, I appreciate your perspectives.
kaarmstrong - how quiet is the preamp? Do you hear any tube hiss or other background noise? Also, have you tried any tube rolling, or are you using the tubes it came with? Thanks, Dave
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SF Stradivari, Aric Audio Motherlode XL preamp and Super KT Parallel amps; Pass XP 27, Raven One TT, Graham Phantom II arm, Lyra Etna Lamda, Airtight PC1, Bryston 3.14 DAC, Transparent Reference & Wireworld, dedicated treated room 17 X 34 X 9 |
#6
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Matthiasmenz… Welcome to AA!
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Ivan FLORIDA MX136, MC1.2KW(10) MC2KW(2), MCD1100, MS750(2) MVP881, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, HT-2 SUBS(2) HT3F(2) WS350(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) XCS350(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" MOTORIZED SCREEN, CINEMA-TECH SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES Reference System: ACCUPHASE A300 AMPS, C3900 PRE-AMP, DP1000 CD/SACD TRANSPORT, DC1000 DIGITAL PROCESSOR, DG-68 DIGITAL EQUALIZER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, PS1230 POWER SUPPLY, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, WW PLATINUM CABLES CAPE COD MX150, MC501(2) MC1.2KW(10) MC2301(2) MR88, MVP881, MCD1100, MDA1000, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, ESOTERIC K-01X 30th ANNIVERSARY (BLACK) SACD/CD PLAYER, G02-X CLOCK, HT3F(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(4) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) KALEIDESCAPE STRATO & TERRA SERVERS 80-TB, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" SCREEN, SONUS FABER STRADIVARI, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, FORTRESS SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES Analog Rig: CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION WOOD, UNIVERSAL ARM w/ Da VINCI' CART, 2nd UNIVERSAL ARM w/ GOLDFINGER STATEMENT CART, HRS-MXR REFERENCE RACK-GLOSS BLACK w/ M3X SHELVES, AESTHETIX RHEA SIG PHONO-PRE, BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, WW PLATINUM CABLES Reference System: BURMESTER 911MK3 AMP(3), 088 PRE-AMP, 089 CD PLAYER, 100 PHONO PRE-AMP, 948 POWER CONDITIONER, ACCUPHASE DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, AVID ACUTUS REFERENCE SP TT, GRAHAM PHANTOM II SUPREME ARM, BENZ MICRO LP-S CART, GRANDIOSO P1X/D1X STACK, G1X RUBIDIUM MASTER CLOCK, N05 NETWORK PLAYER, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, SONUS FABER AIDA SPEAKERS, JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(2) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) WW PLATINUM CABLES Library System: GRANDIOSO M1 MONOBLOCK AMPS, C1 LINESTAGE PRE-AMP, K1X CD/SACD PLAYER, G1 MASTER RUBIDIUM CLOCK, E02 PHONO-PRE, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, AERIAL ACOUSTICS 20T V2, AERIAL SW12 SUBS(2), CANTON REF K1’s, VPI HRX TT w/ SDS POWER SUPPLY, ORTOFON CADENZA BLACK CART, KLAUDIO RCM, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2, SHUNYATA OMEGA QR’s, WW PLATINUM CABLES Esoteric/Bryston System: ESOTERIC C02-X PRE-AMP, P-02X TRANSPORT, D02-X DAC, G02-X CLOCK, BRYSTON 28B3 CUBED MONOBLOCK AMPS(4), BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2(2) EVEREST 8000 POWER CONDITIONER(2) ALTAIRA CG & SG HUBS, AMR-DP777-SE DAC, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, QUADRASPIRE RACK, WW PLATINUM CABLES Accuphase/Canton System: ACCUPHASE E800 INTEGRATED, DP570 CD/SACD PLAYER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, PS530 POWER SUPPLY, CANTON REF K3’s, CANTON REF K5’s, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS MXR REFERENCE MAHOGHANY RACK w/ M3X2 SHELVES, WW GOLD CABLES |
#7
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Quote:
The preamp is very quiet. With the volume maxed out in a silent room I can not hear any hiss from about 1ft from the speaker. I can pick up a very slight hiss around 8" from the speaker. As quiet as any SS preamp I have used. Take this with a grain of salt because this is a comparison not in the same systeem but other systems which I listen to on a regular basis. My impressions: Compared to McIntosh c1100, the Auris has more detail and is less warm. Compared to ARC Ref6SE, Auris has similar detail and a bit warmer. |
#8
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Quote:
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SF Stradivari, Aric Audio Motherlode XL preamp and Super KT Parallel amps; Pass XP 27, Raven One TT, Graham Phantom II arm, Lyra Etna Lamda, Airtight PC1, Bryston 3.14 DAC, Transparent Reference & Wireworld, dedicated treated room 17 X 34 X 9 |
#9
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Dave, I don't have experience with the Auris II but I can share some thoughts regarding other Ayon gear I'm familiar with.
I have owned the S3 Streamer/DAC/Pre and can pretty much second Matthiasmenz' highlights. I now run the Stealth in my system, sometimes as a DAC, sometimes as a DAC+Pre, alternating with the Nagra Jazz, depending on the rest of the system. Ayon make excellent tube gear, the sound is always musically satisfying with good quality bass, nice sense of airiness, without ever compromising on dynamics nor detail. The build quality and finish is first class and makes for proud ownership. One word about the 6H30 tube complement in all these units: it is reliable, affordable and is known for bass control and detail. It's maybe one of the cleaner tubes around, not as smooth as the 12AX7 or 6922, but far from cool. On the downside there's little room for tube rolling. BAT are also using them in their preamps. I'm currently at the mountain place but I could run a careful test of the combo Ayon Stealth as preamp + Pass Labs XA30.8 (edit: on the Elipsas!) when I get back at the end of the week and report about the synergy if that would be of interest to you. The Auris would obviously elevate the experience on another level from the units mentioned above, and as described by Kaarmstrong.
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Sonus Faber Elipsa SE | REL S/812 | Goldmund Telos 280 | EAR Yoshino 912 | Merason DAC1 | Innuos ZENith Mk3 | Clearaudio Innovation Basic + TT5 + Lyra Delos | Studer A810+A807 | Nakamichi Dragon | RDacoustic Hybrid Acoustic Diffuser Last edited by joel_hifi; 01-05-2022 at 07:34 PM. |
#10
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Quote:
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SF Stradivari, Aric Audio Motherlode XL preamp and Super KT Parallel amps; Pass XP 27, Raven One TT, Graham Phantom II arm, Lyra Etna Lamda, Airtight PC1, Bryston 3.14 DAC, Transparent Reference & Wireworld, dedicated treated room 17 X 34 X 9 |
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