Aesthetix Calypso Line stage question.....

I own the Calypso and it does have a balance control but it can only be accessed through the remote control. As far as I know, all Calypso's have this feature. There is no mono switch. Have not compared it to the ARC piece you referenced, only an Art Audio Alana linestage and CJ Prem 17II.

The balance control is located on the remote only(not on the unit.) The display will show two sets of levels when it is utilized.
I have owned my unit since July and absolutely love it. It is quiet and presents incredible soundstaging, depth and harmonic richness(instruments sound real.)Voices are about as good as I have heard.
I listened to the ARC Reference II and I personally thought the Calypso held its own. The ARC seemed to impart a touch of forwardness in the mids that seemed to spotlight voices a touch too much (even though the ARC sounded pretty dang good!) I thought it outperformed the BAT51se and certainly(by a wide margin) the ARC 16. I never compared it to the ARC 25 but would assume the comparison with the Reference II was enough.
I previously used a Audible Illusions L-2 with a mono switch but I have never missed it.
The rest of my system consists of Vandersteen 3a Sigs. w/ a pair of 2wq subs, an Ayre V5x using a modified Sony xa777es for reference.