[bapcha]

All:

Let's have a fun discussion. I have no idea how this will turn out.  All I can do is to level match at the "listening spot" and A/B test.
NO test is perfect, but this is open ended, and I will not have results until my amp comes in

Preamp #1. A newly refreshed Bryston 0.5B - I got it back from USA Service just today

Preamp #2: Ayre K5XE-MP

My listening setup

Audio source/DAC - Logitech Slim Devices Transporter (using balanced out)
Amp: A yet to arrive Bryston 4B Cubed

Interconnects: Self built - stranded single digit gauge stranded copper with gold plated spade lugs

Power cables (like it matters - it does NOT) - stock

Speakers: Axiom M100v4 (the Toyota to Bryston's Lexus)

Break-in: None. Electronics do not break in, and if Bryston did not already design their circuits for temperature changes (I know that they did)

Tracks: Linn 24/96 FLACs and some redbook FLACs

Results: When I get the amp

My bet: It will likely be a wash and I will gladly sell the K5XE-MP.  If I am wrong, and the K5XE-MP does indeed sound better, I will sell the 0.5B after 25 years of ownership and a factory refresh

Any predictions?

Thanks,
Bapcha

[dubkarma]

I'm a big fan of Bryston preamps, and greatly enjoyed the 0.5B I had years ago. Still using a BP-25/MPS-1 in one system.

But, once level-matched, I suspect the Ayre will outperform the 0.5B.

In any case, looking forward to learning the results of your shootout. . .

[mg8]

Owner of Ayre K-5xeMP here.  The Ayre is one of my Goldilocks recommendations.  Looking forward to your impressions. 

[Anonamemouse]

OooOOOooohhh... Interesting!
My guess is that they will sound different, but "better" will most likely be a thing of personal preference.
I do somewhat disagree on the power cables though... But no need to spend a fortune on them. Just buy heavy stuff, like what you would buy to hook up your washing machine.

[bapcha]

Amp (4B Cubed) arrives on Tuesday, 25th Sep. To keep things equal, I plan on running both the K5XE-MP and the 0.5B in unbalanced mode - yes, the Ayre's noise floor rises by 3dB in unbalanced mode (vs. balanced), but let's see  (0.5B does not have balanced in or out - it is single ended all the way)

Bapcha

[artur9]

Doesn't that disadvantage the Ayre?  IIRC, their company philosophy is everything should be balanced.

This is about one of the CD players but I wonder if it applies across all their products:

The AX-7 simply didn't shine in unbalanced mode. By that I don't just mean that "balanced is better than unbalanced." I mean that, after hearing how well the AX-7 played music in balanced mode, the unbalanced AX-7 sounded almost broken by comparison.
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/ayre-ax-7-integrated-amplifier-page-4#lWCWzK2dwcMlEm22.99

[Photon46]

Doesn't that disadvantage the Ayre?  IIRC, their company philosophy is everything should be balanced.

I would certainly think the Ayre is disadvantaged running single ended as it was designed to be operated in balanced mode. Bapcha is setting up a test that will only ascertain relative merits of the two preamps within the context of his system. Operating the Ayre single ended means he isn't really exploring the full performance envelope of the Ayre. Lowering the noise floor of one's system is one of the main things we can do to enhance the subtleties of music reproduction.

[bapcha]

Fair enough. I'll keep the Ayre K5XE-MP "balanced" and the Bryston 0.5B single ended. Fewer flipped switches that way anyway! Design philosophy aside, the K5XE-MP does allow single ended inputs and outputs

Sincerely,
Bapcha

[bapcha]

As fate would have it, I am in possession of the 4B Cubed, but we have a scheduled electric outage for the next six hours!

Results in 24 hours

Bapcha

[bapcha]

OK this was an unfair contest from an audiophile's POV. The near quarter century old refreshed Bryston 0.5B did very well indeed

Source: Logitech/Slim Transporter analog out (balanced and single ended)
Preamps: Ayre K5XE-MP and Bryston 0.5B (refreshed by Bryston last week with new caps/resistors/power cable)
Amp: Bryston 4B Cubed
Cables: Stock power. Self-built cables (stranded copper, gold-plated connectors)

Tracks: Linn's 96/24 track Joe Stilgoe "Almost Like Being in Love", Redbook CD Beethoven's 5th and 7th - Carlos Kleiber/VPO from the early 1970's; Redbook Israel Philharmonic's 60th Anniversary 2CD set - Bach Double Violin Concerto

Music streamed on WiFi from a Thinkpad laptop

Bryston 0.5B +'s
a. Very quiet (but not as quiet as the Ayre)
b. Nice soundstage, but instrument separation was not as good as the Ayre (Ayre is Brilliant with the 7th of LVB - C. Kleiber/VPO, and JS Bach's Double Violin Concerto)
c. Non audiophiles would not know the difference between the two
d. Almost as good as the Ayre at lower (normal listening) volumes

Bryston 0.5B -'s
a. Not quite as good as a 10x more expensive Ayre ($'s not adjusted for inflation)
b. Muddles soundstage especially at volumes that my wife will not allow me to play music at

Both preamps were level matched at the listening spot. The 0.5B is single ended. The Ayre was run balanced (I did not attempt to run it single ended - too many variables)

Cheers!
Bapcha

P/S: There was no "break in". Given enough time, I would have been broken in, and would not have been able to hear the differences (though obvious - as the Ayre is quieter between tracks than the Bryston 0.5B)

[ginetto61]

OK this was an unfair contest from an audiophile's POV. ... 

Hi ! first of all thank you very much for a maybe unfair contest but for sure very intriguing. Maybe because i still own a 0.5B (only line) myself ?  ... i have some questions 

...
Bryston 0.5B +'s
a. Very quiet (but not as quiet as the Ayre) ... 

could this be related to the power supply leaking some residual ripple to the preamp circuits ?  i could not find noise figures for the line outs
Clearly a balanced unit should have a design advantage here ... most of the TOTL solid state preamps come balanced

   b. Nice soundstage, but instrument separation was not as good as the Ayre (Ayre is Brilliant with the 7th of LVB - C. Kleiber/VPO, and JS Bach's Double Violin Concerto) ... 

i was able to find some measurements showing a certain increase of crosstalk with frequency.  Could this lack of channels separation be a reason for a non spectacular reproduction of the virtual soundstage ?

i am sorry if i bother someone but i am desperately trying to understand that a reliable judgement of a preamp quality can be done only on the basis of a lab report, as i tend to believe. 
As low as noise is low, distortion low and channel separation high there should not be big issue with the sound ... i guess. 
Thank you very much again for this test ... i love shooutouts

Kind regards, gino