On the question of "How do you like your V-5x?" the answer is not like but LOVE. These days I can't wait to get home and sit my butt down in the sweet spot which is so much sweeter now that I have the V-5x and its fully broken in. I bought this unit as a dealer demo V-5 and had it upgraded to a V-5x, I think they swap out the main circuit board for each channel in the upgrade which basically requires a full break-in period on its own. The dealer must not have had many hours on it either because this thing just kept on getting better and better the more I ran it. Took weeks if not a couple of months to break it in fully. The biggest difference I found during break-in is in the bass. It has grown fuller, tighter and more controlled and with plenty of weight without being spotlighted. I plan to write up a full review when I have more time to listen critically, plus I am changing so many system parts with tweaks and cables that I need to stabilize the system before I can judge it fairly. I admit, I was a little disappointed at first, it sounded a little on the cold side and I thought the bass was a little too soft and mushy, but now its the most desireable bass I heard on any amp less than $10k and it has become much more liquid and warm than at first listen. It does not sound like your typical SS amp, it is not exactly like tubes either, but to me it fits somewhere in between, plus it has muscle and high resolution that I don't think most tube amps can deliver. Overall, the amp is very musical, transparent, tonally accurate, smooth, liquid, and it makes my head bob like an 7th grade math club geek.

dmichael June 05, 2003 14:15

Audition the Analysis Plus Solo Crystal Oval 8 interconnects and speaker cables. I use them in a system with Ayre V-3 amps, etc. These cables are the best I have heard in my system bar none!

How do you like your V-5x?

timo June 04, 2003 14:30