Aesthetix IO Signature upgrade path?

Addition of a second supply and Full Eclipse upgrade are important to performance. I've owned all of these and listened long term to each level.

The most important thing is replacing all the stock tubes with better NOS, next would be the caps (Eclipse upgrade) and then the second supply.

I don't know if still available, but for awhile Jim was allowing customers the option for Partial Eclipse, which is electrical upgrades but not the new chassis.

Again, having lived with both I suggest the electrical upgrade, finding the new improved chassis pales in comparison along the upgrade path to best performance.

I looked at your system and did not see what power cords you use. If stock you should look into one of the better aftermarket brands here at Audiogon, almost any of them are better than original equipment.

I have used so many different power cords in my system, from HMS, Bryston, Neotech NEP 3001 with Oyaide 79's, snd Harmonix Reference. In the end, I keep going back to the Neotechs and Bryston power cord. I have tried lately the new Pangea AC14 and AC9, the AC9 does add more midbass warmth but I believe at the expense of some of the highs.

From my experience, high end power cables on my system are hit and miss.

That can happen, I just ask because I've tried so many different cables with Aesthetix over the decade I owned them and did their ad photography, I was always amazed at the difference each brand made.

One of my friends sprung for Nordost Odin, you would have to be deaf to not hear the change that made.

Anyway, if you call the factory tell Glenn I said hello.

V/r,

Yes, I heard the Nordost Odin but on my friends Aesthetix Eclipse I set up in his system. He has Wilson Alexandria X2 MK2 and it was clearly better than stock cable, no contest.

I used Aesthetix for about 10 years, the Io and Callisto are among the finest front end components ever made. The ad shots I did were the stack shot and interior view and also the silver smaller pieces with their blue lights showing.

I've seen these in many ads but the latest metal for Eclipse were sourced in CA, now that so many people can shoot digital.

Back when it had to be 8X10 or at least 4X5 sheet film and clean enough to not have to spend additional budget on retouch, I provided a lot of photography and much of it for high end audio. The best part was having the equipment for the shots allowed me to listen and purchased if I liked it. That always helps because the best stuff is terribly expensive.

Ohjoy40, a good tech can do the cap upgrade for you and results will be the same as factory, provided you purchase equal quality parts.

I think currently Aesthetix is using the Moncrief caps which are very expensive. You could go V Caps or Audience caps and get better than you have now but it would not sound identical to the factory.

Better or worse would be in the ear of the beholder. The resistor upgrade basically replaces defective Mills resistors with precision Roederstein.

I would contact the factory, maybe speak with Glenn and ask about the upgrade without buying the new metal chassis. Then call Bill at Music Technology and get a quote from him too.

Let us know your decision and how it turned out.

Ohjoy40,

Unfortunately I did not make note of resistors after the factory full eclipse upgrade.

If Glenn says there is a resistor upgrade that goes along with the new caps, I believe him. That being said, the resistors are ordinary compared to the caps, so if you can find those values you're set.

The new caps are shiny gold colored, superior to the red ones. I've heard just about every version of the IO and Callisto and the full Eclipse is certainly the best.

The new full Eclipse chassis is superior workmanship and beauty but it's horribly expensive and in my system did not show much if any performance upgrade.

I had the full eclipse with my original metal, I was one of the beta testers. Later I had full Eclipse metal on that same unit. That experience is what I base my chassis performance comments upon.

I have interior shots of the full Eclipse upgrade where caps are shown in great detail if that helps, email me through Audiogon and I'll send them to you.

On the resistors, the Mills are a more pure sound, I agree.

Problem was Mills had so many noise issues (that Aesthetix got blamed for) they could no longer trust sourcing them and then spending shop time solving problems. That's why they switched to Roederstein.

I considered testing premium resistors in the circuit but never got around to it. That's about the only performance paths I did not persue before selling my Aesthetix.

Ohjoy40,

I don't understand the technical issues requiring resistor swap when caps are upgraded but perhaps Glenn would elaborate. It might be worth a few minutes on the phone.

If you're sold on the Mills sound I would put them back in. I've installed new Mills resistors during an upgrade I was authorized by Aesthetix to do, it's not a difficult job.

I don't know if anyone has warned you, but NEVER plug or unplug the umbilicals from Aesthetix power supply and main unit within 15 minutes of having been turned on. It will blow a rectifier and not a pleasant job to repair.

Also, be VERY careful of high voltages inside both the Io and Callisto. There are places where voltage exceeds 500, 600 and even 1000 volts. I had a piece of skin burned off in about a millisecond when I was not paying close attention with the lid off.

I agree Aesthetix is superb, no need to swap for other equipment if you are happy with it. I was a dedicated Aesthetix user for about 10 years and Jim White is a great guy.

What phonostage did you end up switching to and why ?

I did not mean to evade your question. I only swap equipment for superior performance and/or reliability.

My Audiogon system

Hi Albert,

Interesting comment:

"I only swap equipment for superior performance and/or reliability."

I guess that means you are suggesting that the Alnico is better in some ways that the IO did not do it for you. And this was after you had both power supply options, the Signature upgrade and extensive tube rolling on the IO to boot. I guess that means you were really wowed by the Alnico.

Ciao,

Audioquest4life

I had Aesthetix when it was not recognized by the audio community, it's been available since 1994. Early on it had some issues but I liked what it offered and walked through all the upgrades and tube swaps for over a decade and have absolutely no regrets.

Aesthetix was absolutely remarkable when it was introduced, no equal anywhere on earth in my opinion. It took nearly 15 years for other product to catch up and there are still only a few pieces out there that are equal or better.

In all fairness the Aesthetix pieces have the same circuit board and basic parts as their first model. Upgrades are significant with new caps, resistors and other parts but the original design is intact.

I think in a time when companies throw away their design every few years Aesthetix has a world class record and still provides performance that's in the very top tier.

Allnic is better in several ways and does that out of the box against Aesthetix Io and Callisto, even if you outfit the Aesthetix with thousands of dollars worth of NOS tubes (and these tubes are a must in my opinion).

The Allnic remote is excellent, no extra charge and the Allnic chassis takes half (or less) the shelf my Aesthetix required. Allnic runs cooler, requires less maintenance, has longer tube life, has better signal to noise, produces music with lower distortion, higher resolution and far more precise placement of voices and individual instruments in complex musical passages.

Last, the Allnic cost less than half and has a better warranty. Like I said, I tend to stay with what works but if something proves itself in enough ways I will make the jump.

I am glad to read your posts and appreciate the time you take to answer questions, even drive by questions. Thanks.

Thank you, it sounds like you're set with the excellent Aesthetix.

If you have questions about tubes and how they effect performance I saved the text from that now deleted Audiogon topic.