Ayre AX-5 Owner Manual

Ayre AX-5

Owner’s Manual

Integrated Amplifier

Table of

Contents

Welcome to Ayre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Connections and Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Setup and Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Controls and Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Optimization and Customization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Numbers and Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

In Case of Trouble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Statement of Warranty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

A Place for Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Welcome to

Ayre

To our North American

customers, please be sure to

mail your warranty

registration card and

photocopy of your original

sales receipt within 30 days

in order to extend the

warranty to five years.

Your Ayre AX-5 offers a significant advance in the
musical performance of high-fidelity equipment.
The warmth and immediacy of a live performance
are apparent from the first listening. The
combination of superb resolution and a natural,
relaxed quality will draw you into the music, time
and time again.

This level of performance has been implemented
using the highest level of workmanship and
materials. You can be assured that the Ayre AX-5
will provide you a lifetime of musical enjoyment.

Quick Start

The Ayre AX-5 is extremely flexible and versatile.
However, many of the features are primarily of
interest to the advanced user.

The information required to get started is
contained in the following three chapters of this
manual.

The remaining chapters cover additional
information that may be read at your leisure.

2

Connections and

Installation

The Ayre AX-5 is easy to use. The following
guidelines will ensure that the installation goes
smoothly.

As shipped from the factory, none of
the inputs are activated. The desired
inputs are activated by assigning them
names as described in the following
chapter, “Setup and Configuration”.

Location

Do not stack the Ayre AX-5

directly with other

components, as this may

restrict the air flow or induce

hum into the audio circuitry.

The infrared beam will also

travel through glass.

A good location for your integrated amplifier is in
an open-backed cabinet or on a shelf. The AX-5
produces a moderate amount of heat during
operation. Be sure to provide at least three inches
(75 mm) of air space above the amplifier.

An adequate supply of air flow will
avoid overheating the amplifier.

The receiver for the remote control is behind the
display lens on the front panel. A line of sight from
the listening position will ensure maximum range.

3

Inputs

When you have a choice, a

balanced connection will offer

slightly higher sound quality

than a single-ended

connection.

The heavy-duty output

terminals of the Ayre AX-5

work best with speaker cables

equipped with spade lugs.

The Ayre AX-5 offers four pairs of balanced inputs
and two pairs of single-ended inputs. Balanced
connections are made via three-pin XLR connectors,
while single-ended connections are made with RCA
connectors.

In this modern era of diverse source components, it
has become impractical to pre-label the inputs with
the actual name of the source. The rear-panel inputs
are labeled “1” through “6”.

Make a written note of which source components
are connected to which numbered input. The
connected inputs will be named after AC power is
applied to the AX-5 amplifier, as described in the
chapter “Setup and Configuration”.

Loudspeaker Outputs

The Ayre AX-5 drives the loudspeakers with
balanced outputs. Since none of the output
terminals are grounded, connecting any of them to
ground may result in damage to the amplifier.

4

Do not connect the loudspeaker
outputs to any speaker switch-box,
accessory, or test equipment that has a
common ground connection.

Tape Outputs

The Ayre AX-5 provides tape outputs, allowing
connection of the selected source component to a
recording device or headphone amplifier. The tape
outputs utilize balanced XLR connectors. Should it
be necessary to connect a tape output to a
single-ended component, high-quality adapters are
available from your Ayre dealer.

Turn the tape outputs off unless they are
currently being used. This will completely
disconnect the auxiliary components from the
AX-5 (including the ground connection),
eliminating the possibility of undesired ground
loops or other interference.

Unlike the loudspeaker outputs, the tape outputs
will not convert the signal from a single-ended
source to a true balanced signal. Instead, the “hot”
signal will be present on pin 2 of the XLR and pins
1 and 3 will be grounded. This allows a balanced
component connected to the tape outputs to
internally perform the single-ended to balanced
conversion without the need for adapters.

5

AC Power

The AX-5 may be plugged directly into an
unswitched wall outlet. Although proprietary RFI
(radio-frequency interference) filtering is built into
the amplifier, in some situations an AC power-line
filter (such as those offered by Ayre) may provide
additional sonic benefits.

Break-In

100 to 500 hours of music

played through the system will

ensure full break-in.

Due to the manufacturing processes used for the
wires, capacitors, and circuit board materials, a
break-in period is necessary for the amplifier to
reach its full sonic potential.

Each input uses a different physical path on the
input circuit board. Therefore a separate break-in
period is required for each input.

6

Setup and

AX5

FWX

Configuration

Due to the large number of available inputs (six) on
the AX-5, activating only the desired inputs allows
for simpler operation of the unit.

If no inputs are activated, the amplifier
will automatically enter the setup mode
when AC power is applied. Only the active

inputs will be included in the list of available
source components.

Activating Inputs (Basic Setup Menu)

The desired inputs are activated simply by naming
them. When AC power is first applied to the unit,
the front panel will briefly display “AX5” and “FWX”
in sequence, where “
Revision X”, where “X” is a letter from “A” to “Z”.

FWX” indicates “Firmware

SET UP

OFF 1

Assuming that none of the inputs have yet been
configured, the unit will then automatically enter
the setup mode and the front panel will display

SET UP” briefly. Then it will display “OFF 1”,

“

(meaning input 1 is “off”) to allow the naming
(activation) of the inputs.

7

Refer to your notes describing which source
components are connected to which numbered
input.

Use the right-hand knob to scroll to the desired
numbered input (“

OFF 1” through “OFF 6”).

When you have reached the desired input number,
use the left-hand knob to scroll through the list of
available names (shown at the left). Selecting “

OFF”

disables that input, while selecting any other name
from the list will activate (enable) that input.

Select a name describing the source connected to the
chosen input, and it will automatically be entered
into memory. The display will show the name has
been assigned to the chosen input.

Repeat the process of naming the remaining desired
inputs. When all of the desired inputs have been
named, press the left-hand button to exit the basic
setup mode. The front panel will briefly display

EX SU” to indicate that the unit is exiting the

“

set up mode. Then the unit will return to the
low-power consumption mode, indicated by the
green LED in the right-hand switch.

8

SET UP

XXX 1

Re-Entering Basic Setup Mode

To re-enter the basic setup mode to make changes to
the names of inputs, make sure that the amplifier is
in the low-power consumption state (right-hand
pushbutton lit green—please refer to the chapter

“Controls and Operation” for additional

information). Then press and hold the left-hand
button for three seconds. The front panel will then
display “

“XXX” is the name assigned to input 1.

Advanced users may wish to use additional
sophisticated input configuration options, including
the creation of custom names for source
components. Please refer to the chapter

“Optimization and Customization” for further

details on using the advanced setup mode.

SET UP” briefly, and then“XXX 1” where

9

Controls and

Operation

Included with the Ayre AX-5 is a remote-control
handset. Illustrations of the controls on the
amplifier are shown to the far left, and the buttons
on the remote handset are on the near left.

On/Off (1/0)

The main power switch for the AX-5 is a rocker at
the top center of the rear panel. This switch
disconnects the unit completely from the AC power.

When the amplifier is turned “off” none of the
auxiliary functions (e.g., the AyreLink system
communication and the tape outputs) are operable.
After the unit is turned on, it may take perhaps 30
minutes or so to fully warm up and sound its best.

10

Therefore a low-power consumption mode is also
included. This allows the auxiliary functions to
operate and also minimizes the warm-up time by
keeping power applied to the audio circuitry. To
reduce power consumption when not listening to
music, bias current is removed from the output
stage.