How make my Ayre system "warmer"?

Well, tell us about your room and speaker placement. Do female vocalists often seem "shouty" leading you to turn the volume down. If so, that's a symtem of poor speaker placement, with lots of intermodulation distortion in the room. Search for Sumiko Master Set for some ideas about properly setting your speakers. This is a highly likely problem.

Also, do you hear a lot of glare and edge? That would likely be coming from you CDP. Unfortunately fixing that costs dollars. Tubes won't clear this up. Great tubes and great SS sound pretty much alike. Unfortunately the bad SS, which you don't have, sounds harsh and bad tubes can sound euphonically warm. The best of both are very, very close to each other, and expensive.

So, tell us about your room and start looking around for a superior CDP.

Dave

Have you listened to Vandersteens with your current set up?
I am running the K5xe, v5xe, and Cx7e ....I've run this set up with 2ce, 3A sigs (current), and Quatro Vandersteens. All have been very "un SS like" I used to have the K1X, but with the current E upgrade on the pre amp, cd, and amp....I'm really not missing it that much...
system is run fully balanced with Audioquest Colorado ic's and alpha Core Goertz MI II speaker cables (flat copper super low impedence)
It's anything but lean!
For as cheaply as you can pick up a pair of used, current 2ce's it might be worth a listen. I thnk you'd be really surprised.
Greg

Vandersteen with Ayre ia a classic combination. It may or may not be what
you seek, Tje, but this is where I'd recommend beginning your search.

Find speakers with a warm sound you enjoy. Then, build your system around
the speakers. Anything else is backassward.

I'd say no to the C-7xe, as you'll just be getting more of what you want to get away from, as I've had (heard) it in 3 different systems. Also owned the V-5x, V-1xe & the V-3. I would say move to a tube pre-amp or tube CDP, such as BAT or something like the Cayin CDT-17A CDP.

Changing your outlets to gold plated units will help, along w/similar PC's.

V-5xe is a great amp & I would definitely hold onto it. Don't know anything about your spkrs, so no comment there.

Agree with all the above comments. I also heard a noticeable improvement when I connected my digital sources to a balanced power conditioner with a high quality copper power cord. It cleaned up the digititus big time.