Ayre Acoustics QX-5 Twenty – The Digital Hub

[#Yoda#]

On 1.2.2018 at 8:27 AM, Vule said:

Hi All,

Has anyone tried yet dcs NB with Ayre QX-5/20 via AES or SPDIF?

Any thoughts regarding SQ improvement?

What should be the benefit? The QX-5 Twenty includes a first class rendering unit and if there may be a sonic advantage by using a dCS NB with the needed external cabling, it would be negligible and not worth the 4k $, IMHO. 

[#Yoda#]

21 hours ago, barrows said:

Not sure where you got this information...  It is not entirely correct.

According to the available reviews and user experience, the view about overall performance of the QX-5 Twenty is consistently very positive and the ethernet streaming unit is an essential part of this product.

 

OK, considering Charleys general concerns about radio waves and the consistent omission of integrated support of wireless connections, what is not "entirely correct" in my post beside semantic details?

[#Yoda#]

1 hour ago, barrows said:

I would also add that Ayre is great about offering their customers upgrades (to existing products) when they develop something new.  I would not be surprised if they offer an improved Ethernet interface for upgrade at some point in the future.  Ayre's upgrades are fairly priced when they offer them as well.

I'm quite sure we can expect some more surprises from Ayre like the mid-range priced 8-series.

 

In expectation of his nearby pass away, it seems as he has initiated some important advancements for his company to be prepared for the expected challenges in the high-end audio market in the next years.

[#Yoda#]

1 hour ago, Ryan Berry said:

Almost definitely not, Vule.  There has been nothing compelling to us on the technology after exhaustive testing it that would suggest anyone benefits from MQA decoding being placed into an Ayre unit.  The next upgrade to the QX-5 will likely be hardware-related to further improve the performance of the unit with things we have learned over the past few years.  As the QX-5 is more complex than just about anything else we make (outside of perhaps the EX-8), it does take a fair bit of time to test things piece by piece to ensure they all make a noticeable and positive difference. 

Hi Ryan,

 

I fully agree with your MQA listening impressions. IMO, according to Charley Hansen, nobody really needs this closed black box format based primarily on marketing blah-blah except Bob Stuart and his investors, not even the major labels any more.

 

Take the time necessary to improve Ayre's digital devices. I guess it's also about the performance and quality of the Ethernet module or the USB input concerning multiple DSD rates and I'm already looking forward to an update, especially for the EX-8. Speaking of my wish list: not really an hardware issue, but at least Airplay support would be nice and helpful e. g. to listen to Bandcamp streams 😉.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[#Yoda#]

I know you and the Ayre team do their best to constantly improve the potential of your devices, even over many years of product life cycle, as we can see with the QB-9.

Ayre still offers one of the best USB implementations for audio devices in the market, but there is always room for improvement.

 

I know that new developments of audio grade Ethernet streaming devices are complex and expensive. These are very difficult times for everyone. Especially Boulder CO is a focal point of some of the best hi-fi manufacturers in the world. It's interesting to see that some of their Ethernet streaming implementations are based on the technology of the same external supplier and all of them are still not really happy with the result.

 

These are special times and I suppose you are talking to each other (though with a proper distance). Why don't the manufacturers in Boulder take an example from some of the leading car manufacturers, share the development costs and develop a component together for this very special purpose, which really meets their high standards and those of their customers. I think there is enough know-how available to develop something comparable to the quite small Chinese or Korean start-ups, which are currently obviously ahead in terms of Ethernet streaming solutions.

 

Anyway, I hope you and the Ayre team are well and I'll see you next year in May in Munich again.

 

Take care and keep your distance.

 

Best

Thomas

[#Yoda#]

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. 

 

[#Yoda#]

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