I know my way around some YG and Ayre having reviewed the YG Summit loudpseakers and an entire Ayre stack.
I also was the proud owner of an Ayre Acoustics AX-5 Twenty and it’s more than safe to say that Ayre amplification defies topology norms (clichés?) as it does not sound solid state just like I don’t sound like Bob Dylan even though we’re both men.
At work at Axpona 2024 in Room 402 with a perfect partner in YG Acoustics, the CX-8 CD player fed the QX-5 Twenty DAC, then analog out into the KX-R Twenty preamp feeding the MX-R Twenty monoblocks driving the YG Carmel 3 loudspeakers.
This system delivered lifelike dynamics—let’s dance!—accompanied by wonderful room filling body.
There was also an ease to the overall presentation, a kind of silken quality that made music as easy to dig into as warm apple pie. Yum.
System Details:
YG Acoustics Carmel 3 Loudspeakers: $29,800/pair
Ayre MX-R Twenty Monoblock Amplifiers: $48,000/pair
Ayre KX-R Twenty Preamplifier: $40,000
Ayre CX-8 CD Player: $5450
Ayre QX-5 Twenty DAC: $15,000
Cables by Argento
