To Jeff Fritz,

You’ve commented several times in both articles and letters that the Ayre KX-R is the finest preamplifier you have ever heard. Now that the new model -- the KX-R Twenty -- has been released, I am wondering what your thoughts are on the upgrade. I’m sure there are quite a few Ayre owners and potential owners who would like to know. Thanks for any thoughts you might have.

Regards,
Rodney Lam
United States

Funny you should ask. I’ve just now begun formal listening to the new Ayre KX-R Twenty (it’s been sitting for a couple of weeks while I’ve been finishing some other reviews). What I can tell you so far is that the improvement is easy to hear even without much break-in. Just last night I noticed some very specific characteristics that I’ve not heard in my system in terms of tonal density and bloom. The changes were actually quite dramatic. I’ve still got a lot of listening to do to this new model but if my initial impressions hold, I think Ayre owners should seriously contemplate the upgrade. I’ll certainly have a lot more to say on this subject but you’ll have to wait until my formal review appears in June . . . . Jeff Fritz