Has Aesthetix become a forgotten brand?

Mike

Audioshark
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Rarely in discussions do I read much these days about Aesthetix. Has Aesthetix become a forgotten brand in our WTB discussions? Why? With consistently award winning products like Janus Signature Preamp and the Atlas Signature amp, among others terrific Aesthetix products, Jim White and his California crew are consistently turning out great products at competitive prices.

In fact, at this years RMAF, the Aesthetix/Focal room featured on the mezzanine, was one of the best sounding, most musically enjoyable rooms I visited.

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If you're in the market for a amp, preamp, phono stage or preamp with a terrific phono stage, give Aesthetix a listen. You won't be disappointed.

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I have two close friends who both own the Aesthetix Callisto and I/O line and phono stages, along with their multiple chassis power supplies. They offer a very relaxed and spacious soundstage presentation that is very rich and involving. Maybe not the last word in revealing the ultimate level of detail, but if you like warm and enveloping sound they really do it exceedingly well!
 
Aesthetix is always on my short list of recos for serious systems. While I'd probably take the AMR DAC in the same price range, the Pre and those hybrid amps are very special.
 
I loved the sound of the 2 chassis IO phono stage - It really is world class.

I did not love the sound of tube hiss thou coming from it and two Rhea's I have had at home for demo.
 
I loved the sound of the 2 chassis IO phono stage - It really is world class.

I did not love the sound of tube hiss thou coming from it and two Rhea's I have had at home for demo.
My experience echoes yours, but both of my buddies with the IO and Callisto combo have chosen to live with the hiss and justify it as being the 'nature of the beast' when running a system with that many tubes. They do have a magical sound! Both have required some servicing over the years, but Glenn (the Aesthetix service expert) has always taken good care of them.
 
I had a rhea and then sold it and bought a rhea signature. Loved the sound of it once i had sorted out the right low noise tubes for it. Incredibly user friendly gain and loading adjustment for multiple inputs. Really a dream. The staff at Aesthetix were stellar as well, when i experienced tube failures and were quick to get me set again. At RMAF, the aesthetix system was really awesome and had a great selection of vinyl, but the few times i went in it was way too loud for me that i left fairly fast.
Their gear is well made though the Rhea was a bit tough to find a lasting low-noise tube complement.
 
They are always in the fray but I guess Aesthetix is less in the limelight since they don't introduce new products very often, they rather improve the products they have as they go along. Example would be IO to IO sig to IO Eclipse, IO has been in existence since the late 1990's. I have always liked the sound of their products but also the fact that they don't become obsolete quickly. Stage is very wide and very deep with a lifelike appeal and non fatiguing. A friend of mine was in the market to buy a phono preamp and used my system for comparison purpose so I had the chance to A/B the IO to a Boulder 1008 and IO to the Audio Flight phono. Although the Audio Flight was closer to IO, none of them gave me the expansive stage that IO did nor the harmonics nor decay. Boulder was more in your face kind of sound, Ying versus Yang for the IO. Again YMMV and taste are not disputable so everybody wins :).

I can hear tube rush through my IO but I have to be at pretty high SPL to hear so, my guess is that tube quality and wear will have a lot to do with it. Also service has always been impeccable with Glenn and he is genuinely interested with any question or problem that you may have.

If you are looking for a product that is highly musical and does not get replaced by a new and improved model every six months then you should inquire in Aesthetix.
 
I was aiming to purchase a pair of Atlas mono sig earlier on this year until I found a used pair of Ayre MX-R that stopped me dead in my tracks :cryforjoy:
 
I was aiming to purchase a pair of Atlas mono sig earlier on this year until I found a used pair of Ayre MX-R that stopped me dead in my tracks :cryforjoy:

That's funny! My upgrade short list consists of the Atlas and the MX-R. I can not demo them locally, but fortunately the closest dealer carries both product lines.
 
Dan,

congratulations on the MX-R's.

Thx Joe, actually changed so many things in my sound system this year that my bank account is empty :panic:(time to replenish) but my hears are having one hell of a good time :exciting:
 
That's funny! My upgrade short list consists of the Atlas and the MX-R. I can not demo them locally, but fortunately the closest dealer carries both product lines.


I listened to stereo Atlas and it is somewhat close to the MX-R, been infatuated by the MX-R's for a few years so when the opportunity creep up I just went for it (that is after doing a last trial in my home system).
 
Thx Joe, actually changed so many things in my sound system this year that my bank account is empty :panic:(time to replenish) but my ears are having one hell of a good time :exciting:

You do not have to explain about empty bank accounts to me. :(
 
That's funny! My upgrade short list consists of the Atlas and the MX-R. I can not demo them locally, but fortunately the closest dealer carries both product lines.

You're in luck, there's an Atlas Signature for sale in the classified forum.
 
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