Усилители мощности стерео — Ayre Acoustics VX-8

The VX-8 is a solid-state stereo power amplifier from the American company Ayre Acoustics, first shown at AXPONA in April 2023 at USD 6,800, while the current list price on the maker's site is USD 8,000. Its circuit grew out of the work done on the EX-8 integrated amplifier and was refined under Ariel Brown, the company's president and chief technology officer. Silver and black versions are offered, with a five-year warranty against defects.

Key specs that matter

Continuous output is 100 W per channel into 8 ohm, or 20 dBW, and 170 W per channel into 4 ohm. Voltage gain is 26 dB, and bandwidth runs from DC to 250 kHz at the -3 dB points. Signals arrive through XLR or RCA sockets, and a rear switch selects which of the two is active. Input impedance is 2 megohm on the balanced input, or 1 megohm per phase, and 1 megohm on the RCA input. A pair of line outputs delivers 4.5 V RMS balanced or 2.25 V RMS single-ended for a subwoofer, and a second switch sets these to stereo or mono. In use the amplifier draws 60 W from the mains. The case is 438 mm wide, 330 mm deep and 114 mm high, and weighs 11 kg.

Engineering and use context

Ayre builds the VX-8 with zero global feedback and fully balanced discrete circuitry, so each channel carries the signal as two mirrored halves from input to output. Gain comes from the company's Equilock stage, and the speakers are driven by its Double Diamond output topology, both proprietary Ayre designs. Power is supplied by a linear analogue supply rather than a switch-mode type, and the circuit boards use a high-speed material. Speaker cables attach to Cardas binding posts, and mains enters through an IEC inlet. Two AyreLink RJ45 ports connect the amplifier to other Ayre components so that a system can be switched on and controlled together, and a rear USB socket serves only for loading new firmware. The chassis heats up during long listening sessions, so it needs open space around it rather than a closed cabinet.

Pairing

With megohm-level input impedance the amplifier barely loads whatever drives it, so tube line stages whose output impedance runs high are an easy match, and transistor preamplifiers work equally well. Power rises substantially as the load impedance falls, so the amplifier copes with typical floorstanding loads, and the subwoofer outputs make it easy to add one or two powered subwoofers.

Alternatives

The Ayre VX-5 Twenty is another stereo power amplifier from the brand, built with the Equilock circuit and a Diamond output stage.