my new black faceplate Aesthetix Calypso

Thanks for the comments, guys. As my dealer said, the silver face "pops" better on display, but the black looks better with my blacker-than-black setup. I'm feeling a Spinal Tap quote coming on here...

Phd - I did check out the reviews, which got me interested in the Calypso (was only looking at BAT and Cary before that). I do have a great local dealer, Great Northern Sound Co. It sounded great at Steve's shop and so he let me borrow one over a weekend. Due to limited space, I am forced to have a dual-use audio and HT system. The demo Calypso did not play well with my existing Anthem A5 amp, I think due to the low impedance ratio mostly. So, I took a leap of faith and ordered the Calypso along with a new BAT 2-channel amp. I pretty much shot my audio budget for the next 12 years, but it sounds great!

One thing I have found with the Calypso is that it seems to be particularly sensitive to tube noise. I tried a new production pair of JJ 6922s that were supposedly tested low noise and I could hear tube noise at my seating position. Anyone else found this to be true?

Perfectionist: It sounds like you have yours dialed in just right!

Sorry, I wasn't clear on my last post. The Sovtek 6922 tubes Aesthetix shipped with the Calypso are quiet with tube hiss only noticeable 1-2 feet away from the speakers. It is when I swapped in a pair of JJ E88CC tubes, tested low noise by Tube Depot, that I had tube noise and pops from my listening position (10 ft). I do have the jumpers set for -12 dB gain. I'm beginning to think my speakers may be overly sensitive... ProAc Studio 140s with 91 dB sensitivity.

I may order Upsale's Mullard 12ax7 copies (Groove Tubes) to give them a try. I need to stick with current production as this preamp is going to see a lot of hours running both audio and HT bypass.

I just received the Calypso last week and it came with Teslovak E83CCS/12AX7 and Sovtek 6922 tubes. Not sure if this is the new standard, or just an inventory deal, but the Sovteks are quiet. I swapped in some JJ E88CC tubes and definitely had a major increase in noise.