Ayre Codex, Lampizator Amber, Schiit Yggy, exaSound e32, and Ayre QX-5, DAC Comparison -A Short Story

[beetlemania]

"I wish I could re-run the whole experiment with all the DACs running thru the KX-5 Twenty"

 

Yes, that's the same thought I had by the end of your write-up (nice job, btw). That was a LOT of new gear in a short amount of time. So, what *is* your current system?

[beetlemania]

34 minutes ago, MJ-10 said:

Currently my big rig includes the QX-5/20, KX-5/20, PASS LABS 250.8, Marantz AV7005, Parasound JC1 for the center channel, Lexicon 512 for the surround channels, OPPO 105D, Martin Logan DEPTHi sub, Maggie 3.7i's, RM 1.3 GENIE turntable, Sonos Connect, Maggie CC2 center, Martin Logan Fx Motion rears, KANEX PRO HDMI de-embedder. 

 

Thanks for the reply. Your write-up made it clear you liked the QX-5 the best but this part

On 11/1/2017 at 9:53 PM, MJ-10 said:

I was enjoying 95% of this sound quality for a fraction of the price with the e32.

 

led me to believe you went with the e32. I'm sure your system sounds fantastic, have fun!

[beetlemania]

24 minutes ago, austinpop said:

1. Yes, the DAVE and the QX-5 sounded considerably better. The QX-5 was the most seductive to me, and came closest to making me take the plunge. But was it 4.5x better than the Codex? Of course not.

 

That roughly $2k price point is a real sweet spot for DACs right now, after which a serious case of diminishing returns sets in.

 

 

Too bad it's impossible to plot SQ against price. I would guess the Codex would be above the infection point but still on the ascending part of the curve (ie, still worth spending the extra $, compared to the median product, if you're an audiophile) whereas something like a $100K dCS stack might be well out toward the asymptote.