G,Day, I know your pain without Multi switchable voltages--OK some pointers Simon Kern @ Hemispheric in Brisbane I heard was the Aesthetix agent in Aus if you give him a call and tell him Des told you--he may be able to change locally for you.
Secondly Jim White the designer is a good friend Email him at the factory and mention my name and he may bend --worth a try!
Thirdly The NZ agent I know well Mark at Audionut.net and will supply you a 240v version at a good price-Moi name again.
Don't give up-- great Unit form a Great company.
DesW |
Des, thanks for your reply. Wrote to Aesthetix but got a NO. I am giving up on buying their products. Any firm that makes it that difficult to own one of their products does not deserve the biz since they clearly don't care for it. |
Mikey, is there a dealer in your country ? you might want to buy it locally if that is all possible ?? |
No, there isn't a local dealer in my country. The dealer who covers my country is based in Singapore which is a 4 hour drive away. Jim White initially forwarded my e-mail to him and he contacted me in June to say he would arrange for a unit for audition but I did not hear from him since and so I brought it up again here since more than 2 months have passed. I do not blame the 'local' dealer as it is probably not cost effective for him to transport a unit cross country. Jim White has been civil in all his e-mail correspondence to me and has every right to refuse my request. As I mentioned in my e-mails I am not opposed to purchasing a local unit at full price with warranty but will need to audition rather than buy with blind faith. I am however, willing to take a risk at 2nd hand prices which was what prompted my search on Audiogon.
All this just means I will not purchase this brand as most of the Hi Fi community in my country will not either. |
Mickey, if you dont mind, what is the rest of your gears ? what is your pre-amp at the present situation ?
I might be able to help predict the output as I heard his pre-amp on a number of occasions. |
As I said at the first post
Krell FPB 200c and Dynaudio Contour S3.4's.
I was previously using a Krell KRC which I found too neutral. I have tried the Ayre k-5xe MP which is musical but also on the neutral side.
I tried a Cary SLP 03. It is musical but I found slightly grainy and lacking richness, dimensionality and tube bloom - could be because of lack of break in - which was surprising for a Cary unit especially the little brother to the SLP 05 which is very well reviewed.
How would the Aesthetix Calypso compare in this regard? |
Oops, sorry about that...
if you are looking for a fuller, lush, smooth sound, the Jadis pre-amp works very well with the Krells amps.
I have heard of this combo several times & it works very well.
The Calypso in my experience are on the neutral side of things. with the krell combo, you will get a lot of details, punch, dynamics. But I'm afraid it might be a bit analytical especially with the Krells.
Another preamp that you might want to consider are the VAC. These are also very good but a bit pricey. These have some of the traits of the Jadis & the neutrality of the Aestethics. They are more on the lively, forward side of things but its very pleasing. Dynamics & soundstage is very good.
Add to that list the smooth sounding Conrad Johnson pre-amps.
That's all i can think off for the moment.
Hope that helps. |
Mikey,
Have you considered a transformer? Not just a regular step up transformer, which are generally cheap units that would likely degrade your power supply, but a stepup + isolation + balanced power transformer. You would get the voltage conversion, plus the power cleaning benefits of an isolation transformer, plus the even added power cleaning of balanced power...not bad for the price of less than buying a new preamp.
You could have one of these made to your spec from the likes of EquiTech or from any transformer manufacturer where you live; you just need to dig some to find a manufacturer. I'm doing this now.
Just a thought.
Horacio |
Some manufacturers feel that using a step up or step down transformers (external) hampers the performance of their gears.
I would personally not use of such devices. |
That is likely the case if using a cheap transformer. But how is a step up or down different than 1:1 transformer, if both are isolation units, shielded, and with balanced output? I believe some manufacturers claim EquiTech-like units are not necessary with their equipment, but I don't recall them saying such a unit will harm their performance.
BTW, trying this is cheaper than switching the preamp. If this doesn't work as expected, a change in preamp can be done anyway. |
Thanks for all your replies. At this stage I have given up on the Calypso for good. I feel that if a user has to bend over backwards to accommodate use of a product by way of hunting down ways of voltage conversion by modification or use of transformers, then the product is not worth buying given the hassle involved.
Nolitan - I am not after euphonic tube warmth, just something to slightly smooth out the highs in the Krell but retain the speed, extension and detail with a touch more dimensionality and front to back imaging. |
Mikey,
If that is what you are looking for, the Jadis + krell combo has always been a fave.
The higher Jadis pre-amp you go, the more you get those virtues.
Goodluck |
This is odd because Aesthetix changed my unit from 110 to 240V last year. WWho did you speak to? did you call their customer service or a dealer? |
I wrote an e-mail to the address on their site and Jim White replied. It was a firm NO.
They must have changed their policy. |
