Pre/Power Amplifiers

Some hi-fi manufacturers like to launch a new series as a fait accompli, all models primed and ready to roll out to retailers at the same time. The 8 series from Ayre Acoustics, on the other hand, has arrived in stages after being first teased in 2018. The EX-8 integrated amplifier and QX-8 ‘digital hub’ (streamer/DAC) sneaked through the gate before the Covid pandemic pulled up the drawbridge, while the KX-8 preamplifier and VX-8 power amp on test here, plus the PX-8 phono preamp, are more recent additions.

These units, and Ayre’s CX-8 CD player, make up this entry-level range, below the mid-level 5 series and reference-level R series. Of course, you should treat ‘entry-level’ as a relative term rather than an indicator of a certain price point. After all, the VX-8 sells for £7000, while the partnering preamplifier starts at £6500. If you consider that pricey, be aware the brand’s flagship KX-R/VX-R pre/power pairing is a cool £77,000.

Future flexibility

Ayre’s KX-8 appears every bit the classic hi-fi separate, right down to the somewhat conservative all-black aesthetic and standard-width chassis. Yet there’s more to this model than meets the eye. The 8 series is described as providing ‘modular high-performance’, and this is reflected by the preamp’s ability to be fitted with optional streaming and DAC boards, either at the point of sale or later, if your needs change.

In its basic form the KX-8 is an analogue-only preamp with connections totalling balanced XLR (x2) and unbalanced RCA (x3) inputs, a single set of XLR and RCA outputs, and a choice of 6.35mm unbalanced and 3.5mm balanced headphone outs. Adding the DAC module, for £1500, gets you optical, coaxial and AES/EBU digital inputs and playback of 192kHz/24-bit PCM and DSD64 (via DoP). For another £1000, Ayre’s USB-B upgrade widens file handling to 384kHz PCM and ‘raw’ DSD512.

Down to zero

The network module is ticketed at £1500 and introduces Ethernet and Wi-Fi, the latter via an adapter that plugs into one of two USB-A ports that are otherwise ready for deployment with external drives. Playback from Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect and – thanks to a recent firmware update – Qobuz Connect are supported, with Roon certification pending. Streaming from network shares, over UPnP/DLNA, is through the third-party mconnect app. Both USB and network upgrades are in second-generation guise, having been retooled in late 2024 to improve format handling and performance. Our KX-8 review sample arrived fully loaded, at an all-in price of £10,500.

Above: Inside the VX-8, a transformer feeds low-ESR PSUs [far left and right] and note red LEDs for biasing constant-current sources. The balanced ‘Double Diamond’ amp transistors are bolted to the chassis base by way of heatsinking

That the preamp’s circuit design bears the hallmarks of Ayre Acoustics founder Charley Hansen is no surprise, as work on the 8 series began before he passed away in 2017 [see boxout]. Like its step-up KX-5 Twenty sibling [HFN Nov ’16], the KX-8 features a fully balanced ‘zero-feedback’ topology, with low-distortion ‘Equilock Gain Stage’ circuitry and IC op-amps eschewed for discrete components. Another familiar Ayre technology is the KX-8’s Continuously Variable Gain Transimpedance (VGT) volume control, which uses a resistor ladder to adjust the gain of its FET input, as opposed to a standard attenuator [see PM's Lab Report].

The design of Ayre’s VX-8 power amplifier is similarly indebted to previous models, most obviously in its ‘Double Diamond’ output stage. Based on the original Diamond Circuit patented by MIT professor Richard Baker in 1960, this features cross-coupled complementary pairs of output transistors – a configuration that targets common mode noise and distortion. A similar four-terminal bridge Diamond circuit is employed in the KX-8 preamp’s voltage buffer stage, promising the same technical advantages in practice alongside an inevitable consistency in the ‘voicing’ of these products.

Rear revelations

The VX-8 power amplifier is rated at 100W/8ohm [and 170W/4ohm, [see PM's Lab Report] and has inputs on both balanced XLRs and unbalanced RCAs. Like its preamp partner, it looks nondescript, the front panel having just a power button and Ayre logo. There are some surprises on its rear panel, however, one being the RJ45 connections that make the amp compatible with the Ayre Link control protocols for system integration, another being dedicated full-range subwoofer outputs (again on XLR and single-ended connections). The speaker binding posts from Cardas are atypical too, being designed for spades (albeit with markings showing where to drill for banana plugs…).

Both amps are reasonably lightweight, but I have no qualms about build quality, just as their unflashy appearance will suit some tastes. Letting things down at the price point, however, is the remote control supplied with the preamp – this is not particularly intuitive (for mute you need to press a button with a no-entry symbol), and the plastic construction feels out of whack with the price of the hardware. At least the KX-8’s rotary control is smooth and well-weighted, which is good news if your set-up has the preamp within arm’s reach.

Above: Inside the KX-8, a transformer [top] feeds regulated PSUs for the dual-mono analogue PCB, with ES9038 DAC [underneath], XMOS USB receiver [right], DSP board with Xilinx FPGA [bottom] and mconnect CDM4140 network audio module [left]

Nor does the KX-8’s small LCD display set the pulse racing. The size of its text, particularly when showing digital file info, is likely to have you squinting from your listening seat. If you need any indication the unit was put into development nearly a decade ago, this is it.

Striking it rich
Like the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing, these amps combine to deliver a powerful, dynamic sound that doesn’t quite fit with their unassuming appearance and moderate size. Bass is consistently weighty and ‘big’, giving all flavours of music a rich, engaging foundation. Vocals are notable for their presence, and instrumental leading edges are well-defined. Allied to this is a warmth and richness that’s apparent whether the KX-8 is playing from an analogue or digital source. My issues with the remote control quickly faded!

Using the preamp’s USB-B input to connect to a Roon Nucleus Titan server [HFN Jun ’25], the system’s bass-rich sound was apparent from the opening of Alice In Chains’ ‘Right Turn’ [Sap EP; Columbia 44K 74182], a semi-acoustic track featuring contributions from other grunge luminaries Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) and Mark Arm (Mudhoney). Well-rounded and warm, but impressively forceful, the bassline created a large backdrop for finely resolved vocal harmonies and percussion.

Deep space

From the same EP, ‘Am I Inside’ sounded just as full-range and detailed, while a more expansive production saw cymbal strikes and vocal phrases fade into a massive empty space. The KX-8/VX-8’s handling of decay and low details was something I noticed again and again throughout my extended auditioning of these amplifiers – a facet of their sound that makes the performance so organic, immersive and enveloping.

Even the oddball, chaotic hidden track (‘Love Song’) at the end of Sap sounded enjoyable through these Ayre amps, but better yet was Donovan’s ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’, in its 2025 remastered mono iteration [The Hurdy Gurdy Man, State51 Conspiracy; 96kHz/24-bit]. Every element of this psych-folk classic was purposefully rendered, particularly the vocal track and the tumbling drums, before this impression was consolidated by the system’s towering presentation of the same album’s ‘Peregrine’.

While listening, I momentarily set the KX-8’s volume very low (as I still hadn’t found that mute button), and this gave subjective life to PM’s objective findings of its channel imbalance [see PM's Lab Report]. Played quietly, Donovan’s ‘Hurdy Gurdy Man’ vocal was shifted left of centre – nudge the volume up a step or two and this impression disappears. As for the stereo mix of the song, Ayre’s amps had fun tracking the tambura and guitar as they swept across the soundstage.

Guilty pleasure

Meanwhile, the allegro sostenuto of Prokofiev’s String Quartet No. 2 In F Major [Emerson String Quartet; DG 431722-2] showcased the KX-8/VX-8’s dynamic flair and poise across the audio band. Bows biting onto cello strings, discordant harmonies striking in their texture and force – there was no feeling that the amps were curtailing the brighter edges of this recording. The sound was vivid yet natural.

Above: KX-8 [top] has five line ins (two bal. on XLRs) and two pre outs (one on RCA, one bal. XLR). Digital ins are coax and two optical (192kHz/24-bit), USB-B (384kHz/DSD512), network (384kHz/DSD128) and two USB-A host ports. VX-8 [bottom] has RCA and bal. XLR ins and outputs on 4mm binding posts. Note stereo/mono sub outs

Prokofiev’s jaunty composition calls to mind Bernard Herrmann, so much so that I played the latter’s astonishing Vertigo soundtrack [Varèse Sarabande VSD-5759] on CD via PS Audio’s recent Signature SACD Transport [HFN Apr ’26]. This showed off the amps’ ability to render both light and dark, the ‘Prelude/Rooftop’ offering a sound of subtlety and gorgeous smoothness that’s then sliced apart by bold, brass swells. Once more, I was caught out by the way Ayre’s system appears to shift gear so effortlessly.

There’s a slight of-its-time nature to this analogue recording, the background more grey than black. Alice Cooper’s ‘Poison’ [Trash; Epic 465130 2] also wears its 1980s production values on its studded leather sleeve. The rock star’s vocals are swirled through a phase-y effect, the drum track is heavily reverbed and the whole presentation has a bright sheen to contrast its dark lyrics. Huge credit to the Ayre amps in clearly presenting this track with all its foibles, while powering it along with such energy to make it a real guilty pleasure.

Hell raiser

Kerry King’s ‘My Two Fists’, a very punk-ish offering from 2024’s From Hell I Rise [Reigning Phoenix Music; 48kHz/24-bit], sounded suitably anarchic through the KX-8/VX-8. And while the boisterousness of the low-end was slightly overplayed during certain sections – bass drums and riffs somewhat loosely defined – this just seemed to reinforce the music’s sense of realism and life. This I will put down to the VX-8 power amplifier, which certainly lives up to its billing of ‘tube-like warmth’ with ‘solid state immediacy’ albeit never quite gripping as tightly onto low frequencies as more focused rivals.

Above: Ayre’s black plastic system remote offers on/off, input selection, volume, mute, display on/off and access to the limited configuration menu for the KX-8

This is an observation, not a criticism. The amp’s sound – allied to the KX-8 preamp – is nothing less than addictive, even contradictory in the way it manages to combine those occasionally relaxed low-end moments with a purposeful demeanour and demonstrable speaker-driving power.

A new-for-2026 album further sold me on this pre/power’s appeal. The layered production of the title track from Grammy Award-winner Eric Bibb’s One Mississippi [Repute Records; 96kHz/24-bit] posed it no problems. Vocals, sinewy slide guitar and delicately picked strings were crafted with airy, clear detail, while drums and bass enjoyed fine weight and presence. This is the sort of performance that has you hitting ‘repeat’ time and again.

Hi-Fi News Verdict

A ‘best of both worlds’ solution, Ayre Acoustics’ KX-8 pre and VX-8 power amp offer a delicious blend of boldness and nuance, bass weight and upper-band sweetness. This more-ish sound comes from amps whose look is perhaps best termed ‘classic’ – and the remote certainly needs an overhaul – although when fully loaded the KX-8 is far more flexible and forward-thinking than its appearance might suggest.

Sound Quality: 87%