Aesthetix Calypso VS ARC Reference 3

I have heard both, and I own the ARC Ref 3. The Calypso is a very good preamp, and a great bargain for the price. IMHO the ARC Ref 3 betters it in a couple of ways. The biggest is in quietness. The Ref 3 is one of the quietest preamps I've ever heard, tube or SS. The Ref 3 also has a bit more refinement or air in the high's and slightly better definition in the bass. The midrange is about equal with some good tubes in the Calypso, which is more prone to tube rolling.

Is the Ref 3 twice as good? No. The law of diminishing returns is in effect. Only you can determine if the price difference is worth it to you.

Cheers,
John

05-28-08: Jafox

The Callisto was way beyond twice as good as the Calypso because of the Callisto's ability to portray space, body of instruments and to carry the sound far beyond the edges of the speakers.

I guess it all depends on opinions of what "twice as good" means. IMHO, as with most things in audio, you pay 100% more (twice as much) for that extra 5-10% improvement (law of diminishing returns). I feel that if item A is way beyond twice as good as item B, item B must be broken. I don't feel that once you're in the high end, that anything KILLS anything else, I call that salesman speak.

That said John, you haven't heard the ARC Ref 3, and I haven't heard the Callisto. I VERY highly doubt that I would believe it was twice as good though, let alone way beyond twice as good, just from my previous 30 years in the hobby, and what twice as good means to me.

Cheers,
John