Aesthetix Calypso vs ARC LS25 MK2

After listening to the ARC and countless others... Aesthetix Calypso was my pick as well. I also own the Rhea and find great synergy in the pair. The overall balance and musicality won me over very easily and that was with stock tubes. People say that the Telefunkens are a whole nother story +++. Just for refererence, I run Atma-Sphere amps thru Coincident Total Eclipses and could not be happier. Jim White is also a great pleasure to deal with. Best of luck Perfectionist!

If ARC got it right... why do they have so many different configured pre's over the years? Tubes, transistor, or both?! You must audition the Calypso Perfectionist. Aesthetix will give you a sound that has very few faults (if any), has little or no signature sound, isn't tubey at all, great extention, open, airy, musical, and has great build quality. The versatility of both the Calypso and the Rhea (phono) are quite remarkable in today's market. Unless you have 10k to play with... More products IMHO should be more like Aesthetix. Perfectionist where are you located? I would gladly offer you a listen if you are anywhere near Detroit. I have lost count... has anyone slammed Aethetix yet?!

I take my hat off to Stanhifi! That pretty well tells the story in the fewest words. Enjoy!

Ahhhhhhh! Joe, this is such good news. I am almost as glad as you are that you stuck it out. When I so highly recommend a piece of gear, it always leaves me with butterflies until it all works out. Just think how home life is for the few who are fortunate enough to own the Callisto and Io Signatures, wow.
It's tough sometimes when the music and the synergy in you system is all a kilter. A lot of wild accusations are made on the A’gon and some times it is also difficult to cipher out what it all means and how much of it is real. But when someone hears the music as your (not so audiophile) gal, I agree that pretty well sums it up.
I really can’t believe more people don’t find their way to Aesthetix but, they will. One at a time. Jim White is a rare gentleman with an even rarer ability. I could not be happier for you and for myself having chosen Aesthetix above all others. Again, I also own the Rhea phono amp (sister) to the Calypso and can share the same accolades for Jims’ work on this piece that I do for all the others. This gear is truly remarkable IMHO.
We will look forward to a more comprehensive review in the weeks to come and I am interested in how the power cord trials and tube rolls will ferret out as I have not yet been that thorough. My pair pretty much blew our minds right from the get go and I didn’t experience the tube noise that quite a few have been plagued with. Thank my lucky stars.
And just to note that I was comparing them against his high end Signature series in a good friends' home. Well, here’s to listening to the music. Cheers!

Yes Perfectionist, Tubes take a little time to settle in. For my Aesthetix Calypso and Rhea maybe as little as a half hour with some music playing at low volumes. Digital has its place! But I notice a decided richness and fullness several hours of listening in (3 to 4). It seems like the more the better but I would swear on the same thing about my former solid-state gear as well. It would start out a little pale and brittle in the morning and then by that evening... WOW! it would have more soul than brother Ray (Charles). Well, almost anyway. IMHO there isn't a single piece of gear out there that sounds great when it's cold. Cheers!

Perfectionist, It is very satisfying to hear that your system is settling and your satisfaction gaining. I hope this is it. WoW, what a long strange trip this has been. Thanks you for taking us along for the ride with you. Your experiences give others alot to glean from. Who would have thought of speaker set up playing a significant roll? Not I but, it deserves another look at on my set up. Happy listening!