Has Aesthetix become a forgotten brand?

I also had issues with tube rush in both preamps and phono stages. I ended up using a Bent Audio step up transformer with my low output moving coil cartridge with great results. The step up transformer eliminates many possible problems and made my Aesthetix phono stage sound beautiful. Bent Audio stopped making their SUT years ago and if you could find one now, they probably go for more than the original retail price. I'm sorry I let mine go.

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I have the Aesthetix Calypso and Rhea. I bought used and was initially disappointed with the tube rush. With help from Glenn at Aesthetix I was able to determine which tubes were problematic. He also referred me to Andy at Vintage Tube Services who helped with some tube selections that made a significant difference in the sound quality and noise floor reduction. I am now very happy with the results from the Aesthetix equipment. Andy also suggested using a SUT for very low output MC cartridges if the noise level was bothersome.

I am considering the upgrade to Signature for these units and would be interested to hear from others who have upgraded regarding their results.
 
Welcome to Audio Shark JPerry! I have always been impressed with Aesthetix components. My friend purchased the Aesthetix Pandora last year and in my opinion, it is one of the best sounding tube DACs on the market. I've also listened to the Aesthetix Janus/Atlas Monoblocks on Vandersteen 7's and was extremely impressed with the presentation. In my opinion, it compared very favorably to the Ayre KX-R/MX-R and ARC Ref5SE/Ref 250 on the Vandersteen 7's in the same room.

Best,
Ken
 
Welcome to AS jperry! About a year ago, I had an all Aesthetix system...calypso sig, rhea sig and atlas sig. Very happy with that setup then...excellent value and hard to beat at that price range.
 
jperry said:
I have the Aesthetix Calypso and Rhea. I bought used and was initially disappointed with the tube rush. With help from Glenn at Aesthetix I was able to determine which tubes were problematic. He also referred me to Andy at Vintage Tube Services who helped with some tube selections that made a significant difference in the sound quality and noise floor reduction. I am now very happy with the results from the Aesthetix equipment. Andy also suggested using a SUT for very low output MC cartridges if the noise level was bothersome.

I am considering the upgrade to Signature for these units and would be interested to hear from others who have upgraded regarding their results.
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jperry.....the sig upgrades are worthwhile and a nice improvement, better front to back definition, wider sound stage, blacker background, etc.....if you go for the sig upgrade expect several hundred hours to settle in. Andy from VTS is wonderful to deal with, knows the Aesthetix gear well and what works, there is a reason Glenn pointed you to him!! Andy did my Calypso sig, Rhea sig, Altla mono blocks and now my Callisto w/dual power supplies and Io with dual power supplies.....72 tubes in all and absolutely no tube noise issues.
 
I owned both the Calypso & Rhea in Signature versions. Became so frustrated with tube noise and hash , despite multiple changes of tube sets from Aesthetix that I ultimately ended up selling them . Noise complaints about Aesthetic gear are legendary and all over the web. I think it is a complete copout at this price point to buy a product and then to be told by the manufacturer that they you need to go to a NOS tube supplier to sort out issues. IMO, these are serious design flaws to do with Jim White's insistence on using multiple tube gain stages , especially when these are applied to a very delicate , low voltage signal coming out of your cartridge. And if you're using high sensitivity speakers or sit in a near field configuration, the noise is unacceptable. Audiophiles have come to understand that reducing background or low level noise , is key to a successful sonic outcome. The blacker the background, the better the outcome. How anyone can square that away with Aesthetix's tolerance for tube rush is beyond me.
 
Bobolaclune said:
I owned both the Calypso & Rhea in Signature versions. Became so frustrated with tube noise and hash , despite multiple changes of tube sets from Aesthetix that I ultimately ended up selling them . Noise complaints about Aesthetic gear are legendary and all over the web. I think it is a complete copout at this price point to buy a product and then to be told by the manufacturer that they you need to go to a NOS tube supplier to sort out issues. IMO, these are serious design flaws to do with Jim White's insistence on using multiple tube gain stages , especially when these are applied to a very delicate , low voltage signal coming out of your cartridge. And if you're using high sensitivity speakers or sit in a near field configuration, the noise is unacceptable. Audiophiles have come to understand that reducing background or low level noise , is key to a successful sonic outcome. The blacker the background, the better the outcome. How anyone can square that away with Aesthetix's tolerance for tube rush is beyond me.
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Sorry about your experience.....its not legendary, its the same handful of people going on and on about the tube issues they encountered. I know many who own their gear including myself and no issues like you experienced. Again sorry it didn't work out for you, enjoy your day!
 
My dealer had a full stack of jupiter series Aesthetix driving Vandy 5 carbons, the front end included a lyra with a .5mv output. it was one the finest sounding systems i've heard in recent memory, one i could live with forever (if it weren't for the "Jax disease"). The one reservation I had, the same one my listening buddy noted was the excessive tube rush through the phono stage:(
 
I always thought the Atlas amplifiers were the forgotten product in the line. Every speaker ever heard driven by them sounded great. Especially Vandersteens.
 
A/V Solutions said:
Sorry about your experience.....its not legendary, its the same handful of people going on and on about the tube issues they encountered. I know many who own their gear including myself and no issues like you experienced. Again sorry it didn't work out for you, enjoy your day!
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Thanks Jeff , I guess in this game you win some ...you lose some. Tolerance for noise varies and in my case , high sensitivity speakers and a near field listening position didn't help. Actually, I really liked their Atlas amps in comparison .
 
I service Aesthetix here in Canada and run across the "tube rush" issue occasionally. What I find is people trying to use very suspect "NOS" tubes in these preamps. The tubes are the only noise source, so if your preamp is noisy it's the tubes and it's time to find something else. What I also find is stubborn audiophiles who would rather find another preamp than give up on the poor quality tubes that they want to use just because the internet babble says they should be good.
The point is, Aesthetix gear is excellent quality, great sound, but you just can't through any tube in there and expect them to work well.
In fact a good 90% of problems (whether noise or otherwise) are caused by people using junk tubes.
 
blackdog said:
I service Aesthetix here in Canada and run across the "tube rush" issue occasionally. What I find is people trying to use very suspect "NOS" tubes in these preamps. The tubes are the only noise source, so if your preamp is noisy it's the tubes and it's time to find something else. What I also find is stubborn audiophiles who would rather find another preamp than give up on the poor quality tubes that they want to use just because the internet babble says they should be good.
The point is, Aesthetix gear is excellent quality, great sound, but you just can't through any tube in there and expect them to work well.
In fact a good 90% of problems (whether noise or otherwise) are caused by people using junk tubes.
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Thanks Dan for the input. In my case (I cannot speak for others) , I went through three sets of "matched" tubes sent out by Aesthetix for both my Calypso & Rhea Signature versions . I did not contact Vintage Tube Services or any other seller of supposedly low microphony NOS tubes. Four other people in my audiophile Group had bought Aesthetix (Non-Sig versions) in the past and all complained about tube noise. I suspect you're seeing Aesthetic gear in for repair that is past their warranty period . I had issues right from the get-go. Whilst Aesthetix were responsive to my concerns , their attitude at the end of the day was " You love tubes and multiple tubed gain stages in your gear? Then noise is a necessary evil , just get over it"
 
Thanks for the information Carlos (ctop) and A/V Solutions. I may try the upgrade and if so will report my results. Both of my cartridges are .5 mv so I did not have to use the 62 or 70 gain selections on the Rhea which may have helped along with the tubes from Vintage Tube Seervices.
 
I went through three sets of "matched" tubes sent out by Aesthetix for both my Calypso & Rhea Signature versions
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I am surprised you couldn't get your Calypso quiet with factory supplied tubes. Typically the Rhea is the problem and usually only on the top two gain settings. It is very difficult to get to 70dB of absolutely quiet gain out of tubes. I will admit it is a compromise, and unfortunately one that can be difficult to live with for some.
 
blackdog said:
I am surprised you couldn't get your Calypso quiet with factory supplied tubes. Typically the Rhea is the problem and usually only on the top two gain settings. It is very difficult to get to 70dB of absolutely quiet gain out of tubes. I will admit it is a compromise, and unfortunately one that can be difficult to live with for some.
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Well Dan, all I can tell you is that I am an experienced audiophile and notwithstanding the willingness of people to believe that Aesthetix horror stories of tube rush are made up by a small group of fanatic conspirators ; a glance at the comments in this post will highlight that there are common tube noise issues & that the solution for many people is to seek out low-microphony NOS tubes at additional expense .

The issue of background noise levels and the sonic degradation that can cause has become more important in audio in recent years - note all the reviews talking about "black backgrounds" and "sound emerging from silent backgrounds" . I too subscribe to the view that it doesn't matter how rich the soundstage and detail emanating from a system is .... if the backdrop is noisy , it's not worth it.

Therein may lie the answer to the question posted : "Has Aesthetix become a forgotten brand?" . They have ...because their tolerance for noise and rush issues exceeds that of many audiophiles.
 
I can't argue with anything you're saying Bob, and given your system I can certainly understand where you're coming from. You have a very high resolution system,and any noise in that is not going to be acceptable.
Does Aesthetix gear have noise problems, absolutely, can they be minimized usually. Is it for everybody, absolutely not. But I do have customers that are very happy with their Rheas, Calypsos and Janus's.
I don't think Aesthetix is a forgotten brand, but it has taken them a while to address the noise problems. Jim White is working on the issue. The low current upgrade for the Rhea does reduce noise quite a bit. But I think they still have a ways to go.
 
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