#21
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enatai252, looking forward to your impressions.
I've auditioned the KX-R at my dealer and notice details hitherto unnoticed on recordings I am very familiar with. Since my listening room is relatively small - 14'x17' - I am focusing on upgrading from my Ayre K-5xeMP preamp to either the Ayre KX-R or Ref5SE. |
#22
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I like the idea of the KX-R, as you don't have the annual tube replacements that you would with the Ref 5 SE, which would cost about $400/year if you use ARC's tubes.
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#23
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I thought a preamp wouldn't need retubing as often as a power amp. I like to leave my Ayre gear powered on all the time, as I can walk into my listening cave anytime and just starting playing.
Ayre's approach to volume (VGT) intrigues me but my ears tell me something special indeed is going on there. |
#24
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ARC "recommends" replacement of preamp tubes every 5000 hours.
24 * 365 = 8760. That having been said, I know many ARC owners who go two years or more on a set of preamp tubes, but the Ref 5 also uses tubes in the power supply, and those most likely will go at the most two years; my dealer's experience with his Ref 5 is the power supply tubes fail every 16-18 months or so when the unit is left on continuously, but he has over 15,000 hours on the audio preamp tubes. Power amp tubes need replacement more often, and even today have a bad habit of sometimes taking out other electronic components (with attendant smoke and sparks) in the amp if they fail catastrophically. |
#25
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Quote:
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#26
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At home...my hope is to compare the KXR with the Moon 850P. These are in two different systems and will bring the Moon down to main system soon for the shoot out. The KXR with the Ref250s and Sasha is incredible and will be hard to beat. The Ayre adds very little to the sound character...and is the closest I have heard to straight wire with gain. The Moon is close but may add a slight dark character(in different system) much like the 380S did when I had it. It does have a great volume control and is dead quiet with a low noise floor. Both seem to be a great match to tube amps. The ARC preamps are also great....and seem to add more air and space to the soundstage. The Ref 40/ref 150 combo is pure magic. I could live with that combo indefinitely More to come...but first I want to get the MXRs in the mix along with Ref DAC Last edited by enatai252; 07-06-2012 at 10:58 AM. |
#27
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Quote:
Last edited by enatai252; 07-08-2012 at 09:24 AM. |
#28
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Note that the Ref 5 SE does still have a little crosstalk (sound heard from another input when at unity gain on another) something not the case on the KX-R because of the way it disconnects inputs by lifting their grounds when that input isn't selected.
Last edited by BillK; 09-13-2012 at 02:22 AM. |
#29
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#30
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Thx
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