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Aesthetix IO Eclipse

Hi,

I'm seriously considering this Phono preamp (with the additional line input and volume control), and would like to get in contact with potenial owners of the IO-series from Aesthetix. I believe the IO is what I'm looking for sonically (and I love the design and user experience). But, I'm slightly concerned about earlier reports of noise/hum issues, as well as riability and the practical side of things related to tube life and generated heat.

So....

- Is the IO Eclipse (still) up there among the best on the market?
- Will the possibility of driving a poweramp directly offer any disadvantages, or be as good as or better than a separate preamp of the same caliber?
- Are the tubes worth the expense, effort and potential hassle...?

What I'm looking for is a high degree of naturalness, musicality and flow combined with great dynamics and a large, holographic soundstage.

My system:

Brinkmann Bardo + 10.5 tonearm + Pi-pickup (Analog)
Audio Aero La Fontaine (CD/DAC/Pre)
Karan KA M2000 (Monoblocks)
Sonus Faber Futura (Speakers)
Kubala Sosna Elation (Cables)

Thanks!
sidekick_i

Showing 1 response by sbrown

sbrown
148 posts
 
As for reliability, I’ve owned both a Rhea and IO Sig for over a year and have had zero issues with them. Concerning noise, I listen near field and have a fairly sensitive amp and only get a slight hiss with nothing playing using 74db of gain. I have found that both IO and Rhea are sensitive not only to tubes as others have pointed but also to cabling (phono, IC & power). Shielded cables are a must along with careful dressing. Albert Porter had Purist make a custom umbilical that he said help quite things down a bit. I think he still may market this.

I fall into the NOS camp for tubes. They are clearly better in my system and to my ears.

I plan on taking the road that LinnLP12 took when it comes time to upgrade. From what I can tell, the Eclipse looks like it was only a cap upgrade with a new chassis. I’m not impressed by the TRT Stealth caps in the Eclipse. I seriously doubt they are Teflon as they are the same size physically as the DynamiCaps they replaced. There are too many interesting options available not to have a bit of fun with this. Then there is the cost issue with the Eclipse versus the Signature. I think the cartridge loading and shunt resistors also look like low hanging fruit. I have Vishay TX2572’s in house for the cartridge loading position but haven’t gotten around to getting those installed.
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