Ayre MR-X monoblocks - how good are they??

Downunder

Will you have your ART upgraded to the lateset specs?

Tab110

Not sure. I like the original ART the way it sounds now with the ever so slight warmth.
ART 3 is a lot more money and a lot more neutral sounding from all reports. Not quite sure if that is for me.
Would be nice to try both side by side - in my dreams :-)

Downunder
I fully believe the components were thoroughly run in and properly matched up together.
Nothing was out of sorts.

What I heard with the Ayer gear and the entire system in general was system synergy carefully set up by a competent dealer.

At this point, you should listen for yourself.

Downunder,

Since you have the SF Stradivari speakers, I would think that the Ayre MXR will match very well with them. I have the MXR driving my SF Memento and they sound great. I used to have Pass Labs and Boulder (piece of junk), the MXRs are by far the best, granted that they cost more.

Sorry to take this thread somewhat off course but I did briefly want to address two comments: 1)"the Isis is not known to be musical." I am not really sure what exactly that means or whether it is intended to be negative in nature; however, based on my listening, the Isis are accurate, "garbage in, garbage out". They can be very musically natural when driven with the proper amp. By the way, I do not own the Isis nor am I in the market for new speakers. 2) "the Einstein is not very kind or musical on normal recordings." Again, I am unsure what "normal recordings" means and whether this is intended as criticism. In this particular instance, I do own the Einstein phono stage and while it does have weaknesses, it is accurate and does not sugar coat what is played through it. Normal recordings can sound spectacular with warmth and body, but again "garbage in, garbage out". My only point is that someone developing a system must make certain choices based on their perceptions and what they want to achieve. Accurate seems like a good starting point. Whether it is the final destination is another question. Note that I have no qualms with someone who chooses one of the other phono stages which are mentioned as each does have its strengths and weaknesses.