This is Ayre's amazing wonder *entry-level* pre-amp. It is extremely quiet, open and airy, providing a clean pathway of the source signal to the amplifier while never sacrificing anything musically--detail, texture and emotion are all there. In short, the K-5xeMP pre-amp is the antithesis of stereotypical flat, glassy and sterile characteristic "Solid-State" sound.

Fully balanced, zero-feedback circuitry, which is the best way to utilize this pre-amp (though it does also have single-ended /RCA inputs and outputs). To that end, included in the asking price is a 2m length of Audioquest Mackenzie balanced XLR interconnect cables ($460 new retail).

The gold foil "evolution" badge as seen on the face of this unit indicates it is indeed the "xe" version, and it also does have the "MP" Maximum Performance update; I called Ayre and confirmed that this unit has every update/improvement etc. they ever did to the K-5 model.

Feel free to call Ayre and verify as per the unit Serial#--they provide exemplary Customer Support and are extremely helpful answering any questions about any of their products.

This unit & everything that comes with it are in "Excellent"/flawless condition; conservatively rated "8" for age only.

Original remote, box, power cord and packing materials as shown. Note, the original warranty material is included but not the original manual (which really isn't needed to operate the pre-amp); this can be downloaded from Ayre's website.

In addition to the $460 2m AQ Mackenzie XLR, the asking price also includes both PayPal & continental U.S. shipping. This adds up to tremendous overall value for the buyer. Discount for local cash pick-up. Please check my feedback and buy with 100% confidence.