D'Agostino vs. Ayre


To anyone who has heard the D'Agostino Momentum series amps and the latest Ayre MX-R Twenty, care to compare and contrast the sound?
imgoodwithtools
Yes it will. Unfortunately for Wilson the Yvettes far surpass the Alexias in every category except loudness. 
One can only hope the Alexia 2 is a mini Alexx which is probanbly the best loudspeaker I've ever heard. 
My YG Sonias 1.2 notwithstanding. 
Thank you for that comparison.  It's not every day I get to read real world thoughts on 2 great amps.  


Hi goodwithtools,
I wonder if your speakers are not quite optimal for Atma MA-1s (even with your upgrades). According to Atkinson's review the Alexias are quite demanding. I changed from a Krell FPB600 to MA-1s and have not looked back. I followed Ralph Karsten's advice and bought speakers designed for OTL amps (Audiokines Dream Makers). The amp/speaker match is now excellent. After I got their effect speakers too, to fill out my rather large room, I sold the Velodyne DD18 sub, no need for it. Especially now, with the Aesthetix Io back from repair. It sounds amazing.
You are exactly on point, o_holter. The Atma Sphere amps were Great. They delivered a level of clarity, in the mids and highs, that I don't think I've heard anywhere else. They simply could not drive the bass on my Alexia's, and that was a system matching problem. Instead of pursuing an impedance matching device, I decided to sell my Atma Spheres and move in another direction.
Mr Tools as you've gathered I'm not a fan of the Alexias. I think they are the best of Wilson's previous technologies but I hope I did not come across as disparaging. They are great speakers by any measure and I'd live with them gladly. But the real magic does come out with pairing them with high powered tubes IMHO. That is frequently impractical I realize and I think your choice of the S-250 is more than a superb compromise and likely a definitive alternative. 
Most happy listening to you sir,

khrys