It has been considered as one of the smoothest and most natural-sounding devices by the reviewers. The QX-5 brings more than just a DAC or a streamer in today’s digitally connected world. It brings the ability to handle the highest resolution files and play one’s favourite online streaming services or some broadcast without missing a beat. Introducing the new ESS ES9038PRO DAC chip and a new jointly-developed doubly-rotated Morion quartz crystal-based oscillator, the QX-5 Twenty raises digital performance to an awe-inspiring horizon.

This is a product that provides unlimited flexibility and handiness at the highest level by joining all of your digital media together with every possible digital input and the trendiest streaming services.

Upon your preferences, QX-5 is available just as a digital base, equipped with asynchronous USB or ethernet inputs added to the digital base.

The ultimate option offers all possibilities incorporated into full digital.

Different upgrades and versions are available:

-The digital player with S/PDIF and Ethernet - 15,500 AUD

-The digital player with S/PDIF, USB and Ethernet - 16,500 AUD


o zero-feedback and fully-balanced discrete circuitry
o Ayre’s Asynchronous S/PDIF input
o ESS ES9038PRO DAC chip
o Ayre & Morion jointly-developed crystal oscillator
o Ayre’s Minimum Phase digital filter
o Single-pass 16x oversampling
o Ayre’s Diamond output stage
o Ayre’s exclusive Equilock circuit
o 100 step digital volume control
o Linear analog power supply
o High-speed circuit board material
o Ten digital inputs: Ethernet, Asynchronous USB, AES/EBU (2), Optical (3), S/PDIF (3)
o Ayre Conditioner power line RFI filter
o Ayre Link communication system

It [QX-5 Twenty] made me smile for weeks and many hours of listening, sometimes into the wee hours just for the fun of it. The Ayre is among the smoothest and most natural-sounding digital devices I've heard

-Michael Lavorgna, AudioStream

Ayre price list