KX-R 20 internal

[BillK]

So far what I've heard in the first half hour or so is a more defined space to performers within the soundstage and I haven't yet decided whether the 20 is a little more rolled off or if it's more natural and the original KX-R is a little bright. What I've found amazing so far is that for example at the end of Frank Sinatra's Fly Me to the Moon there's a last little few notes that just kind of sound like piano notes on the KX-R; on the 20 you can make out the individual hammers hitting sequentially. Likewise, there's a horn note at the end of Please Be Kind that is just sort of "there" on the KX-R, but is clearly defined in space with space around the horn on the 20. Conversely, at the beginning of Alison Krauss' Paper Airplane where you can hear plucked guitar strings that can almost be a bit painful when heard through the KX-R where they sound more musical and natural through the 20.

The question I can't answer is whether they should be a bit painful, and the 20 is losing that, or if the original is a bit edgy.

Don't get me wrong, the KX-R is still a statement piece, it's just the 20 is a bit more of a statement.

Is it $9000 more of a statement? Stay tuned.

[elihu11]

Having had Ayre products for years, I would reserve any judgement on final sound until I knew it was broken in at least 300 hours.

[BillK]

Note I had Ayre's internal prototype KX-R Twenty, so I have no concerns that it wasn't broken in.

[elihu11]

Have they made any changes to the final released product?

[BillK]

I don't believe so or I don't believe they would have loaned it to my dealer to loan to me.

[jax4736]

Bill, any further impressions on the KX-R Twenty? I read your earlier post, right after you got the unit on loan.

[BillK]

Extended listening showed pretty much the same things my initial reaction showed.

The big question I could never quite resolve was whether the Twenty's less brittle presentation of highs was more accurate or slightly rolled off.

Certainly there were improvements in soundstage and resolution. There were several songs where what was previously heard as a single note through the KX-R revealed themselves to be a chord through the Twenty.

I"m less certain about the changes Ayre made internally; they've somehow modified the mechanism to be quieter and more servo-sounding when changing inputs and volume as opposed to the "clunky" sound made by the KX-R. Which I strangely prefer as it makes the KX-R sound a little more "solidly constructed" than the Twenty, which of course I know to be nonsense.

All in all I think the best thing that could be said is a friend who heard the two side by side said the Twenty just sounded more like real music than the KX-R did - amazing when comparing a product so flat out superior as the KX-R is in the first place. I keep expecting improvements at this level to be minuscule, yet I'm always amazed at what's left to be extracted.

Here's the thing - I much preferred the sound of the Twenty, but haven't yet felt like the music is really missing something after flipping back to the KX-R. As a comparison, when I was demoing the KX-R against my Levinson No. 380S, the loss of soundstage and resolution was instantly obvious on everything, compelling me to make the purchase.

I've got my dealer investigating time frames and such for the upgrade now, but I've got to wonder - since they effectively replace almost the entire interior, what will Ayre do with the guts of all the KX-Rs they upgrade? Refurb them and keep them as warranty replacement parts?

In short, I can't see anyone being in any way disappointed by the Twenty, and suspect I will eventually upgrade, but that $9K upgrade price point is a bit of a sticking point with me given I just purchased my new KX-R last November, a substantial investment in itself, though obviously $9K less than were I to purchase a new Twenty.

So in summary: the Twenty is everything the KX-R is with more resolution, more soundstage palpability but the highs don't seem as harsh as they sometimes do through the KX-R, likely necessitating careful auditioning and system matching.

[jax4736]

Thanks for the detailed observations, BillK.

Charlie had posted (elsewhere) that the KX-R 20 was twice as good as the KX-R. Would you go that far in your impressions?

[BillK]

It's hard for me to say; "twice as good" is a bit nebulous.

Certainly soundstaging and presentation is improved very nicely, and if the highs really are more accurate, I'd have to say that's a day and night difference as well.

The issue is that the KX-R is already so good that I think it still beats most everything else out there anywhere near its price point, and the KX-R Twenty is by no stretch of the imagination at the KX-R's price point.

There is also the question of the competition having expanded; for example the KX-R always sounded clearly superior to the ARC Ref 5 SE line stage to me, though for a $5K premium; now to be fair the Twenty would really have to be compared against the new ARC Ref 10 preamp (MSRP $30K.)

So once again, is it worth the price increase? Hard to say.

Will I get the upgrade? Yeah, probably though I may let the KX-R burn in for another year or so first.

But I do have to ask what monetary price one can put on having to go back through your entire record collection to hear what you've missed in the many, many times you've played a recording before.

Just as moving from the No. 380S to the KX-R did that for me, the KX-R Twenty would do it yet again.

[Kingsrule]

Anyone else have some impressions of the KX-R20?