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Ayre DX-5 bluray player

274K views 2K replies 123 participants last post by  dbphd 
#1 ·
Hi everyone,


I got this picture from my friend who joined the audio fair in Hong Hong a while ago.


I've been waiting for Ayre bluray player for a long time


But don't know anything about its spec and also don't have any more pic from the rear, just this.


Hope Mr.Charles can tell us about it


and as I know this player will be out at the end of this year


I already told a dealer in my country that I would be the first customer in the country for this stuff




 
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#7 ·
It is an Oppo, Ayre makes no effort to hide it.


From a literature piece they call "Digital Metamorphosis: A Discussion with Charles Hansen of Ayre" available at this weekend's Rocky Mountain Audio Fest:

Quote:
Q: The success and longevity of the Blu-Ray format has been a big question since it won the format war against HD-DVD. How do you feel about Blu-Ray - will you ever release a new video player?

A: When the video format war started, with HD-DVD on one side and Blu-Ray on the other, we said from the beginning that we would not make a new player until there was a clear winner and there was a platform available that could play all formats with a high level of performance. Some of the first Blu-Ray players wouldn't even play CDs! We wanted a player that would not only play both Blu-Ray and DVD but also all of the audio formats that are so important to our customers, including SACD and DVD-Audio.


We were very excited when Oppo announced just such a player. When we contacted them about the idea of working with them, they were extremely supportive. We have been absolutely thrilled with the level of performance they are able to provide in their base platform and we have been able to bring it to another level. The Oppo team has been fantastic, and they have made a lot of design decisions that makes our goal of providing the world's highest level of video and audio performance a reality.


For example, they chose the top video scaler chip from Anchor Bay Technology (ABT), which is what DVDO eventually morphed into. So once again we have come full circle and are again working with the brilliant team that got us started with our progressive-scan DVD player ten years ago! "What goes around, comes around."


But the Ayre DX-5 really represents an entirely new product category. With Blu-Ray it is unbelievable, but it will also give fantastic video quality on standard DVD's, thanks to the ABT video scaling chip. And for audio playback we can not only play every digital audio disc ever invented, but have also included a USB input for your computer using the jitter-free "asynchronous" USB transfer technology licensed from Wavelength.


Now we have a machine that will give not only the best possible video playback, but also serve as a state-of-the-art audio player plus be used as a music server in conjunction with your personal computer. Once again, I think we have hit upon a product that everybody wants. Simply hang a plasma or LCD screen betweenb your speakers and you can turn your stereo system into an incredible home theater. Then connect your computer to put all of your digital music at your fingertips. It is the only source component you need - unless you also enjoy vinyl. We couldn't fit that into the box also! I am confident that this will be another "homerun" for Ayre.

Or, the DX-5 is an improved performance Oppo with what is effectively a QB-9 DAC in the box as well.


So, given that if you want the combo you can buy the Oppo for $499 and the QB-9 for $2500 and still save $7001 or so off the projected price for the DX-5, only time will tell if the other Ayre tweaks to the Oppo player will make the piece worth the price premium.
 
#8 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by kucharsk /forum/post/17295064


It is an Oppo, Ayre makes no effort to hide it.


From a literature piece they call "Digital Metamorphosis: A Discussion with Charles Hansen of Ayre" available at this weekend's Rocky Mountain Audio Fest:




Or, the DX-5 is an improved performance Oppo with what is effectively a QB-9 DAC in the box as well.


So, given that if you want the combo you can buy the Oppo for $499 and the QB-9 for $2500 and still save $7001 or so off the projected price for the DX-5, only time will tell if the other Ayre tweaks to the Oppo player will make the piece worth the price premium.

interesting thanks
 
#10 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mmiles /forum/post/17390932


I wonder what Ayre does to a $500 unit to make an "Ayre"?

You might ask Charles Hansen, the top man at Ayre this question on Audio Asylum. He frequents that forum and often answers all questions about his products there.


Here is the link:

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/digital/bbs.html
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mmiles /forum/post/17390932


I wonder what Ayre does to a $500 unit to make an "Ayre"?

To make it an Ayre, we dismantle it completely and recycle everything except the main PCB (with the video decoder, ABT scaler chip, and HDMI transmitter), the transport mechanism, the VFD display, and the remote control handset.


Next we re-build the main PCB. The big switching power supply only provides 5 VDC, then there are little mini-switching power supplies (called DC-DC converters) on the main PCB that turn the 5 VDC into 1.0 VDC, 1.1 VDC, 1.8 VDC, and 3.3 VDC. All of those are removed. There are also USB power switches that allow hot-plugging of USB devices. These are removed as they have another kind of DC-DC converter called a "charge pump".


All of the supplies are replaced with pure linear supplies with analog regulators. The USB power switches are replaced with devices without the charge pumps. Now we have gotten rid of seven noise sources that create high-frequency square waves with harmonics well out into the MHz region. Getting rid of all of that noise creates a visibly cleaner picture.


Next, we replace the low-quality master video clock with a VCXO. This becomes more important later on, as you will see.


Now we start adding things back in. First is our AyreLink communication system. It allows AyreLink equipped components to act as one big system. For example, turning on the player will turn on all of the downstream components as well as automatically select the correct input on the preamp. We also make an external RS-232 to AyreLink converter box for system controllers like Crestrons. The AyreLink system has opto-isolators between each component to avoid unwanted ground loops, which is why we don't use RS-232 inputs on any of our equipment.


Then we add a custom programmed FPGA on the front panel PCB to do some housekeeping. It intercepts the appropriate commands and translates them to operate the AyreLink system. It disables the internal volume control (which operates in the digital domain and degrades the sound) and instead routes the volume changes to an AyreLink equipped preamp. It also allows us to send custom messages to the front panel VFD display. So when the USB audio input is activated, it will report that on the front panel along with the sample rate of the received signal.


There are a bunch of boards added on the audio side. I say "side" because we literally split the player into two parts. There is a separate power transformer that runs all of the audio circuitry, which is separated from the video side by a bank of opto-isolators. So the audio and video "sides" have separate grounds that are completely galvanically isolated. This is the only way to get the best performance from either your audio system or your video system.


All video displays have switching power supplies that dump noise into your system in the absence of such isolation. There are also ground loops that are inevitably formed as there is no such thing as a balanced video connection. All of those problems go away with our isolation system.


The ten-channel audio board is replaced by a two-channel audio board. Everything on this board is top-quality, with discrete, fully balanced, zero-feedback audio circuitry and discrete, zero-feedback power supply regulators. There are improvements in both the parts quality and circuit design that give it even higher performance than the QB-9 USB DAC that was recently rated "Class A+" in Stereophile's recommended components issue. For two-channel disc playback (CD, SACD, DVD-Audio), the performance exceeds our $6,000 audio-only disc player.


We also add the USB audio input that allows you to connect your personal computer and turn your system into a music server. Your entire digital library (except SACD's, thank you very much Sony -- not!) can be stored on a hard drive and played back with the click of a mouse. So this one component can be the only source component that you need. This input is also connected via a bank of opto-isolators, so there is actually a *third* "side" to the system -- the video, the audio, and the computer. The noise from your computer and its switching power supply will not be connected to either your video or audio systems.


We also add a second audio-only HDMI connector. This is fed by the isolated signals on the audio "side" so that it won't contaminate your surround-sound system if you choose to connect one. It also supports the new "Audio Rate Control" (ARC) feature that is part of the HDMI 1.3a specifcation. This is a breakthrough for the surround-sound enthusiast, as HDMI is normally the worst way in the world to send audio data -- the jitter is even worse than the lowly S/PDIF connection.


But with ARC, the surround-sound processor uses a local crystal oscillator to provide a low-jitter clock to the DAC chips. Then there is a buffer that stores the incoming audio data. When the buffer is too full it sends a signal back upstream to the Blu-Ray player telling it to slow down the disc slightly. When the buffer is too empty, it asks the disc to speed up slightly. Now the audio clock is in charge, the way that it should be. (When the unit is running in two-channel mode, the local low-jitter, fixed-frequency crystal oscillator provides the master audio clock.)


With a modern digital display (plasma, LCD, LCOS, DLP, et cetera) jitter on the video signal does not matter. Since there is no conversion to analog, the digital signal values are simply stored in a frame buffer until needed.


Then the whole thing is put into a custom chassis made entirely from anodized aluminum and stainless steel. We want our products to look just as good 50 years from now as they do today. There are other people making Oppo "clones". One of them only replaces the chassis. Another replaces the power supply also. Nobody is rebuilding the complete player and adding the extra features and advanced technology that Ayre is.


As far as the value, it is up to you to determine that. I can't tell you how much an improved picture is worth. I can't tell you how much better sound is worth. I can't tell you how much the features we add are worth. You will have to decide that for yourself.


What I can tell you is that, just like all of our other products, they offer engineering and performance beyond what anyone else is offering, at a fair price that reflects our cost of manufacturing, and that we back up our products with both a strong network of the finest dealers on the planet and an incredible service policy.


Unlike other manufacturers that try to sell you a "new and improved" product every year or two, when we figure out a way to genuinely improve the performance of our existing products, we offer upgrades to current owners at very reasonable prices. Go to the Audio Asylum and check out some comments regarding our recent "MP" upgrades to the C-5xe and CX-7e disc players, for example.


If you want a great Blu-Ray player for an incredible price, buy the Oppo. If you want the best picture and sound quality in the world for your home theater and price is not a concern, check out the Ayre. And no, it will not be available in November, sorry. Early next year will be a better guess.
 
#13 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by nsps /forum/post/17402711


Thanks for the enlightening explanationgreat read!

Thank you for the kind words.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nsps /forum/post/17402711


Out of curiosity, why can't you get the parts from Oppo separately. and skip the dismantling part?

There are two problems with this approach:


a) It would actually cost more to buy a kit of the required parts from Oppo. We are a small manufacturer, making specialized equipment that only appeals to the most dedicated enthusiasts. If we sold 1000 units a year it would be a miracle. But 1000 units is about a ten-minute run on the high speed automated assembly lines used by Oppo. It would take them far more time to change the setup to make a special version of the player for us than it would be worth.


b) The licenses required for DVD alone are about $150,000 up front and $50,000 a year, plus royalties on equipment that has nothing to do with the DVD patents. There is no point to pay the DVD Forum royalties on high quality power supplies, clock oscillators, audio circuitry, chassis, et cetera. All that would do is raise the prices for you, the consumer.


I didn't even bother to check into Blu-Ray, but it is undoubtedly even more expensive. By purchasing a complete, licensed player with all royalties paid, we can "modify" it to our heart's content without paying a dime. Plus we are not contractually obligated to observe the BDA's restrictions.
 
#15 ·
What is the MSRP?

I may have missed it but I don't recall seeing it.


Thanks.


Mike
 
#17 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike_WI /forum/post/17403257


What is the MSRP?

I may have missed it but I don't recall seeing it.

We don't know yet. We only know when the design is completely finished and we get the quote from the PCB stuffing house. This happens about two weeks before we begin shipments.


Normally we wouldn't announce a product until it was closer to shipping, but there were some quirks in the clocking of the Oppo that delayed things. Then we decided to add a feature. And then another feature. Each of these features should have been simple to implement, but turned out to be a nightmare.


For example, the Audio Rate Control. It's not completely specified in the HDMI standard. So we bought a Pioneer with their "PQLS" system figuring we would fill in the few last missing pieces. But it turns out that the Pioneer doesn't follow the standard. So we spent about a week analyzing how it worked. We will probably include a mode so that it can work with the Pioneer receivers also, but it's just one of those things that makes everything take longer than it should.


But it actually turned out good that we announced it early. We didn't know that Oppo was talking to other companies besides us! So if we hadn't announced it when we did, we would have just looked like copy-cats.


Anyway, it pretty much falls into the "If you have to ask..." category. I'm sure that when all is said and done it is going to be close to ten grand. At that price, what's a few thousand, more or less? But whatever it is, it will be worth it.
 
#18 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mmiles /forum/post/17403443


My next question is when are you going to build a surround sound processor and 7 channel amp?

Well, we've been making a modular amp that holds between 3 and 6 channels for seven years. It is called the V-6xe. It's a great amp. But it's only 150 wpc and most people in the home theater market expect to pay about $1000 for an amp with that much power. Ours is much, much more than that.


Most people who want to spend that much on a multi-channel amp expect to get at least 250 wpc, if not 300 wpc. So we don't sell very many. Only to people who listen with their ears instead of the spec sheet.


We did a lot of work on an SSP. We got a Dolby license and a DTS license. We did a detailed block diagram. We figured out the right way to do a lot of things that the Dolby spec allows people to do wrong. But it's a moving target. By the time we got it in production, it would be obsolete because now they would have 9.2 channels and super-duper 3-D video.


Too much of the home theater market is driven by flashing lights and fancy gizmos. We don't play that game well.


When we first started in the business DTS had just come out. You couldn't give away a DVD player that wouldn't decode DTS. (And this is back when DVD players were still almost $500.) But it was silly, because at that time there were only a half-dozen titles that even had a DTS soundtrack.


I haven't looked for a while, but it seems like the latest big "buzz" is "room correction". Which is an utter crock of horsepoop.


Anybody that knows anything about room acoustics knows that you can only equalize a room at one point. And making it better at that one point makes it worse everywhere else in the room. But you can't give away an SSP that doesn't have "room correction".


And next year it will be some other gizmo that you don't need but that they make you think you can't live without. So I don't know that we'll ever build an SSP. Anything we ever made would just be a high-performance machine that simply made sense. But it doesn't seem to be that is what sells....
 
#19 ·
Charles,


Thanks so much for jumping into this thread.


Your systems were some of the best sounding at RMAF, and I have no doubt that the DX-5 will be a benchmark for the balance of the industry.


One thing you didn't mention - is the incoming AC is subject to "Ayre Conditioner" processing as is the case with most of your other products, or would you recommend the use of an L-5xe?


As far as an SSP goes, I can't imagine it would ever be worth it for Ayre given even the "big players" have had problems keeping up with the changes (c.f. Mark Levinson No. 40).


I suspect that's why you designed in the SSP mode on the KX-R.
 
#20 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by kucharsk /forum/post/17403754


Thanks so much for jumping into this thread.

You're welcome -- I'm just like everyone else -- I enjoy the sound of my own voice talking...

Quote:
Originally Posted by kucharsk /forum/post/17403754


Your systems were some of the best sounding at RMAF, and I have no doubt that the DX-5 will be a benchmark for the balance of the industry.

Thanks for the kind words. We had two room at RMAF. One had over $100,000 worth of equipment, so it better have sounded good! The other was almost a "real world" system -- our $3500 preamp, our $5000 power amp, and a pair of Avalon's entry level speakers. That room had the DX-5 prototype and they were playing Blu-Ray concert music videos. It would have been even better if you could have turned the lights out, but that wasn't practical in a show setting. I thought that system did a great job of showing how you could have a system that really did it all for not a crazy amount of money. And do you know what? I never once missed not having two subwoofers and five more speakers...

Quote:
Originally Posted by kucharsk /forum/post/17403754


One thing you didn't mention - is the incoming AC is subject to "Ayre Conditioner" processing as is the case with most of your other products, or would you recommend the use of an L-5xe?

We're including that on all of our new products, even the QB-9 USB DAC, which is our least expensive component ever. Still, you can't get too much *good* line filtration, given all of the RFI in the air these days. One of the biggest offenders is Wi-Fi -- and yet they are building city-wide networks in some places. Heaven help us!


We built the L-5xe at the request of our UK distributor. I wasn't very excited about it because I figured it would only help other brands of equipment that didn't already have our special RFI filters in them. I was expecting that adding an L-5xe into a system that already had the same filters built into the equipment would only make things worse -- more cables, more connections, more things to go wrong. I was shocked that everything got better!


Now I put them everywhere. I even use them on my computers and monitors to keep the noise they generate out of the AC wiring. But that is overkill. You are probably better off just using some cheaper products for that and reserving the good filters for the main audio system.


The best way to judge an AC power product is to live with in your system for three weeks and then remove it. Usually you'll find that it actually sounds better with it *out* of the system. But it's easy to get dazzled by the things it does well and overlook the damage that it does during a quick A-B comparison.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kucharsk /forum/post/17403754


As far as an SSP goes, I can't imagine it would ever be worth it for Ayre given even the "big players" have had problems keeping up with the changes (c.f. Mark Levinson No. 40).


I suspect that's why you designed in the SSP mode on the KX-R.

Yes, the AX-7e, the K-5xeMP, and the KX-R all have a pass-through mode. They also all have input switches that disconnect the *ground* connection of all unselected inputs. This is super important in these days of video. Your display has a switching power supply that never shuts off (which is why you can turn it "on" with the remote control). If you don't disconnect that from your system completely, all of your other sources will sound worse.


The No.40 is a great example of the dilemma. They spent years developing the "card-cage" modularity and the small front panel display. Both were nice features but ones that add months and months to the design cycle. By the time the thing was introduced, it was already obsolete and part of the reason that the Levinson production was halted for a year-and-a-half.


We wouldn't be any quicker with our product development. We always spend a lot of time sweating the details. We spent a full year just developing a three-phase power supply for the synchronous motor on the turntable we import. But that is a format that is fairly mature! Not many "breakthroughs" happening there....
 
#21 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles Hansen /forum/post/17403613


I'm sure that when all is said and done it is going to be close to ten grand. At that price, what's a few thousand, more or less? But whatever it is, it will be worth it.
Sounds like it will be awesome though.
 
#22 ·
I agree with Charles Hansen re sonics of the unit rather than bells & whistles. I have currently T+A receiver & amp which are more about sonics & getting the basics right than high power rating. People equate power rating on an amp with performance which is utter nonsense. There is more to power amp than just the watt rating. BTW thanks Charles for explaining the details of Ayre BD player.
 
#23 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles Hansen /forum/post/17403687


...So I don't know that we'll ever build an SSP. Anything we ever made would just be a high-performance machine that simply made sense. But it doesn't seem to be that is what sells....

Charles,


If you think you can take a SSP/pre-pro and customize it (like what you did on Oppo) let us know, you will find many takers and I think you will have a market for that :)


Thank you for your insights!


Cheers,

Kishore
 
#24 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charles Hansen /forum/post/17402589


Now we have gotten rid of seven noise sources that create high-frequency square waves with harmonics well out into the MHz region. Getting rid of all of that noise creates a visibly cleaner picture.

Any chance of posting before and after images?
 
#25 ·
Kudos on the new design Charles. I had the opportunity to check it out in Bellevue last week and it looked and sounded fantastic!! Everyone at the demo was more than impressed. Best of luck with the launch!
 
#26 ·
Mr. H,


I appreciate your candor BUT you didn't do all the reverse engineering and prototyping and testing without a realisitic estimate of an MSRP.


Again I respect you wanting not to reveal that at this time but I would think you would know what it is going to sell for much sooner than 2 weeks before release.


I am familiar with your product I have spoke with Steve many times about your line at trade shows. As far as your amps they are some of the best I have heard at all price levels.


I'd say you could fetch 7-9K for a 7x300
 
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