#Yoda#

I heard yesterday that the current server host is having serious problems. Highresaudio.com is working on alternative solutions and is setting up its own server/storage system in parallel. They hope to be back online in one or two weeks at the latest.

Hi guys, good to hear from you and I hope you are doing well. Unfortunately I can use my PonoPlayer alternately because I still only own just a Norah Jones LE. I rarely use it because I have far better stationary alternatives with Ayre DACs and really good Roon Ready mobile wireless speakers at home or in the garden and I haven't been on a beach vacation for a long time where I'm dependent on a good-sounding DAP. Nevertheless, my Pono is still working after all these years, albeit with limited battery life. I'll probably have to activate my Pono more in the near future as a temporary solution because my Auralic Aries, which is the streaming transport for my Ayre Codex for listening to headphones in the sunroom system, has probably been defective for a few days and it will take some time to find a good replacement. Best Thomas

For me, the most "natural" music reproduction possible is essential and I am therefore a convinced fan of Manger speakers. At the last HighEnd Show in Munich, I had the opportunity to listen to and enjoy Wolf von Langa's new WVL 23239 CHICAGO. It was one of my highlights of the show. The reproduction in the presentation was in my perception similarly natural to that of the Manger speakers but with more controlled and far deeper bass foundation. Highly recommended, but unfortunately "a bit" over my current budget. Useful link: https://wolfvonlanga.de/english

The PonoPlayer is always a good source of inspiration. Even though it unfortunately was a "one hit wonder", it is still at least on par with the best current DAPs in terms of sound quality in balanced mode and at a fraction of the price. Mine still works today, even if the battery is weakening by now. If I understood your social media communication correctly, a new phono preamp for the 8 Series PX-8 is on the horizon and the R-Series is to be expanded into a full series. It would be a nice but challenging task. Good Luck!

A nice system, but for me the installation effort for an outdoor system would be far too large and too inflexible with two terraces and garden. With the Escape P6 Air speakers, all I have to do is have a passable WiFi signal in the backyard, carry 2 by 16.6 lbs around and align. With a little tweaking of the Roon DSP options, a flexible and really good sounding stereo outdoor system is achievable for $2k. https://store.roonlabs.com/products/p6-air/ https://community.roonlabs.com/t/the-p6-air-is-roon-ready/205487 Unfortunately I don't keep chickens in my garden, they might keep the snails at bay 😏

I would love to try DSD 256 or 512 oversampling, gladly with HQPlayer, but unfortunately I am eagerly awaiting the availability of the new USB and Ethernet boards for my EX-8.

You're certainly right, but the form factor is perfect for a good sounding, portable, semi-weatherproof, Roon ready wireless speaker. It's only a trash container if you listen to poorly produced music with it.

You can't compare that so easily. Ayre DACs use only the rudimentary DAC functions of the ESS chip and bypass all of its filters and upsampling functions with custom FPGA-based programming and single-pass 16x oversampling. In my listening experience with Ayre DACs, even DSD 128 recordings do not necessarily sound better than their PCM 24/192 counterparts. Even Charley Hansen, Ayre's founder was not really convinced of the sonic advantages of DSD.

that ultimately also goes with less effort with probably not really worse sound, but having fun with it is the most important thing, where the environment also plays a role 😉.

Thank you for the invitation Jake, If I can still afford a skiing vacation in Aspen, as I did more than 30 years ago, I will certainly use the stopover in Denver to drop by, but I have my doubts, unfortunately.

Glad to see that like Charley Hansen and Ryan Berry before you have found your way to communicate on this forum with many Ayre fans. Not all here are also part of the FB bubble 😉. Unfortunately a personal meeting at the HighEnd Show in Munich didn't work out this year, but hopefully Ayre will be back as an exhibitor next year. I too wish that Ariel and you will continue Charley's vision and expand Ayre's position as an innovator for natural sounding music reproduction and strong brand in the HiFi business.

As a regular visitor of the HighEnd Shows, first in Düsseldorf, then Frankfurt, finally Munich for more than 30 years and uncounted dealer events, only a few demonstrations can really impress me. Today I was for three hours at the parallel to the HighEnd Show HIFIDeluxe Show in Munich because I actually wanted to listen to the Seawave Acoustics AM 45, which I have then found good sounding but not exceptional but a few rooms further at Marco Serri Design I have had a light bulb moment. Their Gladiator speakers really impressed me. Crystal clear, large stage and spatiality and a bass that was crisp and yet powerful ultra deep down. https://www.marcoserridesign.com/copia-di-venezia-1 Real comparisons are always questionable at HiFi shows because of the usually difficult room acoustics, but still, whoever has the chance should definitely listen to them! Tomorrow I'll be at the HighEnd Show and will continue to listen around and hope for more surprises.

This is not really news. KX-8 and VX-8 have already been presented at the HighEnd Show in Munich 2018. Unfortunately, Ayre will refrain from participating again this year. 8 series lit 2018 A4.pdf

Similar question about the USB board. I use an Innuos Zentith Mk3 as a music server and "source" between my current EX-8 2.0 and the upcoming new USB or ethernet board (it could also be the fully featured QX-5 twenty). Does it make sense to additionally invest in e.g. an Innuos PhoenixUSB or NET as my understanding is that with asynchronous USB the clocking is forced by the DAC side anyway. As I gathered from my conversations with Charley, the shortest path from the clocking to the DAC is crucial, whether Ethernet, USB or other interfaces.

For the MusicScope Charts, I think the best source to explain what the different parts of the chart exactly show and how to interpret that s the manual from the manufacturer:EN-MusicScope-Manual.pdf