Definitive Audio Product Training

Definitive Associates Take the Ayre (Tour)

The Toyota Management philosophy includes the admonition: Go look. Go see. The idea being that, often, complete understanding comes only from direct observation. Here at Definitive we certainly agree, and eagerly take advantage of opportunities to have Definitive sales associates visit the factories and visit with the principals and builders of the components we offer our customers.

Recently, Definitive associates John Peters, Victor Prinsen, Zach Hale and Craig Finer had the pleasure of visiting audio component designer and builder Ayre Acoustics. The factory is located quite up in the air, in Boulder, Colorado (elevation 5,430 feet).

The trip allowed them to see up close the extraordinary care and craftsmanship that goes into every Ayre component, from concept to construction.

“The high point for me may have been sitting down and talking with Charlie Hansen, the founder and Research Director,” says Peters. “Any question we’d ask, he’d stop and consider carefully before answering. We came away convinced that this guy really cares about music, and that reproducing it accurately is a personal passion.

”One of the stories Hansen told was about the development of an important design aspect of the highly-regarded MX-R power amplifier. Personal investigation had led him to the hunch that fidelity could be improved through chassis design. Conventional construction techniques had the transformers bolted directly to the chassis, but Hansen found that isolating the transformers with a new energy-absorbing material called Poron® could significantly reduce sympathetic “ringing” in the chassis, resulting in noticeably lower coloration.

“Ayre definitely doesn’t linger in the past,” says Peters, “They’re constantly pushing forward.” Evidence for this is apparent in the selection of the Ayre QB-9 digital-to-analog converter as Stereophile’s “Product of the Year.” This component directly addresses the desires of music lovers who want to take the best advantage of the convenience and high fidelity capabilities of computer-based music collections. (See the review here.)

John, Victor, Zach and Craig got to see how Ayre Acoustics products were built, which is enlightening and educational, but certainly the best way to experience the benefits of Ayre’s design philosophy is to simply listen. We invite you to do just that by auditioning Ayre components at Definitive.