For Those Of You Who Own A Pathos Classic One or Classic Remix...
I’m auditioning a Pathos Classic Remix (which is a tweaked Classic One mkiii, with added features).
For those of you who own one of these specific Pathos models, is your experience of the bottom end one where you wish it had more in some respects, or is it perfectly great as long as you’ve matched it well with free right speakers?
I’m asking because I’m in an unusual situation. My normal speakers, Castle Edens, are in the shop. They may or may not come back to optimal life. In the meantime, I’m using my wife’s speakers. They’re smaller and have a different sound profile (They’re brighter, less extended, and have less in the presence range).
I got this Classic Remix from Upscale Audio. I have the usual 60 days to decide, but I don’t have an important constant, my regular speakers. If the Edens can’t be brought back to regular life, I may live with my wife’s speakers for a while. But that means beyond the 60 days.
It’s difficult to judge the bottom end of the Classic Remix as my wife’s speakers don’t go down very low (60hz) compared to edge Edens (which go down to 40hz and have more presence).
The top end is good, albeit not kind to overly bright recordings, and certainly the midrange of the Pathos is great, at times breathtaking. But compared to the last amp I had, a souped-up Unison Research Unico, the bass seems not quite as taut and perhaps expressive. But that may be due to my wife’s speakers. (I never tried the Unico with my wife’s speakers, so it’s hard to know).
So I’m trying to surmise whether this amp is ultimately a keeper (I can’t spend more). I’ve put in about 200 hours on it, as suggested by Upscale. No one at Upscale whom I have chatted with knows the Classic One and Remix well. They all know the Legos and above, so they tell me how much they like the Legos, but that’s not equivalent to the Classic Remix.
I listen to just about everything except hip hop and most metal. Other than that, Led Zeppelin, Shirley Horn, Ellington, Tower Of Power, The Cars, Bach and Beethoven, Broadway, James Taylor - you name it.
So, for you Classic One (bridged mode users will have a different experience) and Classic Remix owners, are you fully satisfied?
Thanks,
Jeff
This is all good to know. As when and if I replace my speakers, I'll have a great, expressive amp. But man, it's tough trying to guess. Not the optimal way to buy.
I have read the occasional review which said that the bass was not its strength. Not that it's not necessarily weak, but that it's not as authoritative, taut, and expressive. |
I have the following setup: Maverick Audio TubeMagic D2 DAC (Sparkos Op Amps & WE 396A tube) AudioQuest Chicago interconnects Pathos Classic One MkIII with 1960s Mullard tubes BLC 10 AWG speaker cables Focal 836v speakers I also have W Audio power cords on the DAC and amplifier. The combination is sufficient for people to assume that my home theater subwoofer is in the mix. Everyone has a different experience and preferred sound, but I am very impressed with the overall sound and certainly would never describe the bass as lacking in any way. I also have a Krell S-300i (150 wpc @ 8 ohms and 300 wpc @ 4 ohms) and prefer the bass on the Pathos even though the Krell does sound more full across the bass range. |
I have used my classic MKIII with stand mounted monitors for 4 years and have recently switched to floor standers. It is a small room and always thought that anything bigger than monitors would overload the room. Boy was I wrong, plenty of bass now and doesn't overload the room. I would look to replace the Castles with floor standing speakers that are more efficient, maybe in the 90 to 92 dB range. As long as your room isn't huge, I think the Remix will sound great in the lower range. Check out my setup: Dill's System
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