Ayon audio Ayon Spitfire
The Ayon Spitfire pairs rich tonal colour and expressive vocals with commanding macro- and microdynamics, delivering single-ended tube charm without the usual restraint. hifitest.de also praises its excellent spatial imaging, warm yet dynamic bass, and meticulous 36kg construction. With sympathetic loudspeakers, its 30-watt Class-A design brings orchestral delicacy and large-scale impact into rare alignment.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
95/100
Build Quality
96/100
Features Connectivity
85/100
Value for Money
85/100
Pros
Rich tonal colours, expressive voices, excellent spatial imaging, and bass that balances warmth with dynamics.
Exceptional macro- and microdynamic range with suitably compatible loudspeakers, from large-scale impact to fine orchestral nuance.
Impeccable, detail-conscious build quality, plus remote control and relay-switched resistor volume adjustment.
Cons
Requires choosing a single output-transformer tap before delivery, rather than offering multiple speaker impedance terminals.
Its performance is best realised with reasonably efficient speakers that have a linear impedance curve.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 95/100
The Spitfire is described as technically accomplished yet distinctly expressive, combining tonal colour and tube character with unusually strong control and scale. The review also found it highly capable with both intimate musical detail and large dynamic swings.
Transparency Resolution
95/100
The reviewer calls the sound quality technically perfect and praises the amplifier’s ability to follow the finest tonal nuances within an orchestra. Its presentation is portrayed as detailed and refined without losing the character associated with a top-flight tube design.
Tonal Balance Musicality
96/100
Rich tonal colours, expressive voices and an added sense of flair and charm are central to the listening description. Bass is said to balance dynamics with warmth, suggesting a musically generous presentation rather than a lean or clinical one.
Dynamics
96/100
With suitably revealing loudspeakers, the Spitfire is said to deliver gripping macro-dynamic impact alongside delicate micro-dynamic expression. It also reached extremely high listening levels with 90dB-sensitive speakers, an impressive result for a 30-watt single-ended Class-A design.
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
The review specifically praises the Spitfire’s excellent spatial imaging. This suggests a convincingly organised stereo picture that complements its expressive voices and rich tonal palette.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
96/100
The 36kg amplifier is described as having impeccable build quality and conscientious design down to the smallest detail. This is unusually emphatic praise for the execution and finish of the component.
Features Connectivity
85/100
Connectivity includes three line inputs, balanced XLR input, a direct input and pre-out, while remote operation is included. Its relay-switched resistor volume control is praised for convenience and for avoiding the channel-balance problems that can develop with conventional potentiometers.
Value for Money
85/100
At roughly $9,995–$10,350, the Spitfire sits firmly in the high-end single-ended tube-amplifier market. The review calls it an exceptionally high-quality and mature example of its type, but does not directly compare its price or value against competing amplifiers.
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Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
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Specifications
- Amplifier
- Ayon Spitfire
- Class of Operation
- Single- Ended, Pure Class-A
- Tube Complement
- 2xAA62B
- Load Impedance
- 8 Ohms
- Output Power
- 2 x 30 Watt
- Frequency Response
- 8 Hz – 35 kHz/ 0 dB
- Input Impedance at 1 kHz
- 100 KΩ
- S/N ratio at full power
- 98 dB
- NFB
- 0dB
- Volume Control
- MCU based with analog resistor switching circuit
- Remote Control
- Yes
- Inputs & Output
- 3xLine In, 1x XLR In, 1xDirect In, 1x Pre out
- Dimensions (WxDxH) cm
- 51x39x25 cm
- Weight
- 36 kg
- Shipping weight
- 49 kg
Manufacturer's Description — Ayon audio
Ayon Spitfire Tube Integrated Amp – SET Integrated Tube Amp
Features & Design
Full-featured single-ended tube stereo integrated amp or pure power amplifier
SE – pure Class-A triode vacuum tube-circuit design
AA62B Power output tubes high peak current & high voltage delivery
Ideal also for more difficult loudspeaker loads
Vacuum Tubes
The choice of signal and power tubes have a significant influence on the sound and therefore, on the inspiration and joy of listening. This is not only the difference between good and bad tubes, but the interaction of the different types of tubes and their combination that are used in the various Ayon amplifiers. Today only few manufacturers still produce tubes for pure audio amplification; one of them is Ayon Audio with its outstanding single-ended triode power tubes (AA32B-S, AA52B-S and AA62B) based on the WE 300B.
Signal Path
We believe that the simplest circuits work best together with the shortest signal path. That is why our SE-Triode amplifiers to date have used single-ended pure class A circuitry. The shorter the signal path is, the less possibility of sonic degradation from various sources, including the wire itself. Even on the circuit boards, the copper traces are kept to a very minimum length. The completely redesigned circuit board provides a more straightforward and direct approach to the signal paths.
*Logical sequenced soft-start power up for extended tube life
*Tube and electronic protection circuit system
*0dB negative feedback (of any kind)
*DHT
*Ultra short signal path
*Simplest direct circuit path for purest musical sound and high reliability
*No solid state devices in the signal path
*High current and low impedance design that operates tubes in the best areas their curves
*Minimal discrete wiring for optimum signal propagation
*No followers or buffers in the signal path
*High quality parts throughout
*Selector switch engages relays located near RCA jacks to switch all inputs
Power Supply
Single ended amps are more susceptible to power supply aberrations than push-pull amplifiers. The power supplies have been further refined with new components and enhanced AC line noise filtration. Separate power transformers, chokes and filters provide total isolation between the input and output stage which makes this a pure power source and it is a critical attribute for a single-ended amplifier. We also use electrolytic capacitors with much larger storage capacity to make up for the loss in filtering when using resistors in lieu of inductors.
*Low noise –insulated power transformers
*Power transformer is encased, excellent damped and RFI/EMI shielded
*Innovative power supply provides a high speed energy delivery on transients
*Dual choke filtered power supply for Ayon AA62B
*Dual choke for pre and driver stage
*Separate and isolated power supplies over each stage of amplification
*Regulated DC filament supplies with soft start
*AC power line filter to avoid noise and hash from entering into the unit.
*High capacitance energy storage.
*Current in-rush limiting
*Auto sequencing – Power on cycle completes in 1 minute
Dual Grounding System
The modification of the grounding topology leads to increased rejection of noise from the power supply and other areas. The dual grounding topology used in all of our amplifiers is quite unique to the whole hi-end tube amplification industry. Such extensive topology provides for quieter backdrop in which the music can unfold in its entirety. It further establishes the quick and controlled bass response and the full bodied expression of the high frequency. The ground leg of the signal has not been neglected and has been given meticulous attention in its implementation. The importance of proper grounding cannot be over emphasized.
*Ground switch
*Central one-point star earth grounding
*Dual grounding system (switchable)
Output Transformer
The super-wide bandwidth output transformer’s major strength is that it can deliver the current in the bass, while at the same time maintaining the speed in the high frequencies. This dramatically improves the square wave response of the amplifier. The effect is a much more natural and relaxed sound with much better clarity, resolution and fluidity.
*Super-wide bandwidth high performance output transformer (made by Ayon)
*High efficiency with low insertion loss for optimal current and voltage transfer
*Multiple tight layering and coupling for extended frequency response
*Output transformers are sealed with an anti-resonance compound material
Components
The type of parts used therefore must have a synergistic relationship to the circuit they are placed in. It is this relationship of which type of part to use where, that sets our products apart from the masses.
*Selected, premium quality passive components used in all applications
*High speed & high quality audiophile grade coupling capacitors
*Special tube sockets with beryllium- copper spring pins, custom made by Ayon
*WBT/Germany – binding posts
*Neutrik/Swiss – XLR chassis connectors
*Special isolated – internal wiring
*Silver-copper matrix – internal signal cable
*Gold-plated industrial grade PCB
Mechanical Construction
The high grade aluminum chassis imparts a richer, more lustrous tonality with a cleaner background and less hash and grain. All brushed anodized anti-vibration-resonance and non-magnetic chassis’s are fully hand assembled to insure the highest level of craftsmanship.
*Improved heat ventilation chassis
*Custom-made machined control knobs
*The aluminium feet are resonance absorbing types
*Backlit “ayon” logo
*All front & rear panel descriptions are engraved
*4 line inputs & 1 direct input – for pure power amp operation
*Ground switch
*AC phase polarity control indicator
*Volume & Mute function – RC
*Metal remote commander
*Chassis finish: black / chrome
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Ayon audio Ayon Spitfire
- A Tube High Fidelity — online and in-store — Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands (website)
- Absolute Hi End — in-store — Ormond, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Ambiance Concert — in-store — Angers, Pays de la Loire, France (website)
- AMPL’HIFI — online and in-store — Nîmes, Occitanie, France (website)
- Audio Gallery — online and in-store — Las Rozas de Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (website)
- Audio Vinyl — online and in-store — Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland (website)
- AUIDOtrend — in-store — Kraków, Województwo małopolskie, Poland (website)
- Ayon audio USA — in-store — Scottsdale, Arizona, United States (website)
- Chameleon Audio — online — Greece (website)
- Class A Audio — in-store — Notting Hill, Victoria, Australia (website)
and 19 more verified dealers
