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Ayre is still my dream amp since I've heard it at Newport. Simply beautiful.
The prototypes I heard were finished but a few hours before the show began, and were not sufficiently broken in to allow fair sonic assessment. Only the transformer and chassis remain from the old MX-R; the "Double Diamond" output stage is new, and was first seen in the AX-5 integrated amplifier, reviewed by Art Dudley in August 2013. It is claimed to generate a more neutral sound.
On passive display was the Colorado company's new KX-5 preamplifier (top), which matches the VX-5 amplifier (bottom), will cost the same $7950, and looks like the AX-5 ($9950).