After many years of having equipment all over , we decided to try this about four years ago .The back looks a bit busy , but no audio cables or cords are in contact with each other , and it' s very easy to dress cables ect . There' s still a couple of upgrades to come , I'll up date photo' s when that happens . MAX
Graham, sorry for the slow response. #532H, Improvements were not huge but the music is somewhat cleaner and clearer, slightly better bass resolution and a tat sweeter upper mids. I traded in the #431 so the new amp didn't cost me a ton more ( $5000. ) I had the #431 since new so it was about 8 years old. I was a bit worried about a major breakdown so the choice was easy. We brought home many amps before we settled on the #532H, it just sounded right in are system.
New speaker cables, went from Transparent Ultra to M.I.T. Oracle,s. Although there not fully run in yet I can say without a doubt that the improvement is many times greater than the recent amp upgrade. An audiophile friend said " the new cables make red book CD's sound as good or better than the SACD's did before the cable change " . Also added HI Fi Tuning Supreme fuses to the Ayre KX-R preamp, Ayre C5exMP CD player and Audio Research DAC8, also install six Hi FI Tuning Silver Star fuses to the new Levinson power amp.
Hello Glai. The Levinson was like the story of Goldylocks and the three bears. The MXR's were to thin the Pass XA100.5's were to warm but the 532H was just right. Keep in mind I've setup and voiced my system using several generations of Levinson amps. I'm sure the ARC's would have been grand but because of the hours I log tubes are just no longer feasible. With much listening and the right setup I've found you can reach or exceed tube nirvana without the expense and hassle. Regards Tim
Have moved into a larger house now, don't have any new pictures yet. Before moving in we transferred the dedicated power and added another layer to the walls, there now 1" thick on all sides. Also had to move a living room wall to make room for the audio gear and still have a livable living room. Hope to find a state of the art amp this year. I've brought home at least a dozen amp's so far and haven't found one thats a clear step up from my current amp. Tim
Quanmer ... Thanks to some fellow audio club members I have heard some very nice amplifiers in my system . My favorite was the Vitus but way to expensive for me , second would have been a Pass Labs XA160.5 , very nice sound but very hot running . I'm also going to bring home a demo Levinson #532h from my local dealer when I get the time . I have given much thought to tubes but I listen to about 4000 hours of music per year so tube costs could get out of hand .
Quanmer ... Yes , I am currently looking for an amp and have heard the MX-R's in my system thanks to a friend . They were fine but I felt I was getting to much of the Ayre sound , a little to analytical for my tastes , maybe something a tad warmer . Biggest problem is finding something thats a clear step up from my Levinson .
Bjbcab... I did take the top off the KXR and the C5 , had a very thorough look , no fuses were visible . I have used these fuses in other components including my Levinson power amp with small but good results .
System change... I have upgraded the CD player , from the Marantz SA11 to the Ayre C5exMP . WOW . Also had to change Interconnects to CD player to get the full benefit . Now using NBS Signature 3s , balanced of coarse .
