+1 on Aesthetix gear and Jim White. I had a completely McIntosh top end vintage system and went totally to Aesthetix. I chose SQ over good looking meters bouncing around. I started with Signature models and then upgraded all to Eclipse: Atlas, Janus & Romulus. great improvement in depth, tonality and punch. As mentioned above, replacing the EH and JJ's with NOS took it (for me) to a new level. Especially noticeable with ultra low noise Amperex & Telefunken in the phonostage. The only change I would possibly make is to go monoblock Atlas eclipse. I cannot say enough good things about Jim and Glen at Aesthetix. Accessible and helpful. Jim once came to my home and we discussed his hybrid design and passion for great sound reproduction at a realistic price point. I demo'd the Metis at home for 2 weeks and it was incredible - but would have had to sell my Janus and buy a separate phonostage, cables, etc so I passed. But it's a great preamp too.
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I would skip the Casablanca. Not sure why your using that when you own such a nice preamp. You own some really great gear. If your looking for opinions, your turntables may be your weakest link. Two great cartridges by the way. |
addendum: My front end is a Scoutmaster with a DRT XV-1s and a Pioneer PL 71 with a Koetsu Uriushi Black
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Sorry for the response delay-was getting past my hangover🙃. For those who asked, I’m running my analog thru my Rhea and Calypso. For my Theta Miles, I’m going into Kora Hermes II, then into my dbx 360 and then into my Casablanca. My amps are Ev 600 Krells and Speakers are Wilson Maxx Ii. |
lewm-
Thanks for the insight. What is REALLY surprising is seeing anyone who appears to be at least 50+ and STILL not wearing a mask!
MOST people seem to complying in stores, however I STILL see groups of people(mostly young) breaking protocol.
Oh well, I will still be here healthy and able to LISTEN.
Apologies for additional sidetracking of the thread.
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Tablejockey, If you’re outside, just stay 6 ft away from other people, masked or not masked. If you’re inside which should mostly be for buying groceries the store should have a policy requiring a mask, although what some people wear is a joke. I’m noticing lack of gloves too, especially among the young. I choose very large supermarkets with high ceilings and I happen to have an old N 95 mask found in my workshop. Virologist here. Sorry for off topic.
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Aesthetix Calypso/Rhea-
You have great equipment.
Sit back and listen to records. The more difficult decisions are trying to figure which rules apply to avoiding getting infected!
I have to avoid throngs of people not wearing masks here in SoCal.
Seek out the BEST records possible to hear your system sing. |
During their tour at my house the Aesthetix Atlas, Calypso, and Rhea all were great performers. I changed only to downsize my system. The Rhea with very low output MC cartridges had some unavoidable tube noise. I used NOS RCA clear top tubes.
I think you should run the Rhea into the Calypso and as recommended by others skip the Theta Casablanca.
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I owned Calypso Eclipse and liked it a lot, only sold to get Aesthetix's Metis preamp, which is another order of magnitude. Also have had long experience with other Aesthetix equpt, Atlas Eclipse stereo amp, Romulus Eclipse DAC/CD player, and I am now in line to replace the stereo amp with Eclipse monos. While these are not what you own, I mention them to imply long term satisfaction with this company's products. The company is known for high performance at very good value. As a designer, Jim White is among the most respected in the industry. His skill is exceeded only by his integrity. I acknowledge this response isn't exactly what you asked, but hoped the perspective on the company might be of interest. Obviously, amid a field of a lot of good equipment out there, I feel Aesthetix is a very sound buy.
Jim Heckman
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@handymann World's apart but not so different. My first 'system' was a cassette tape player with an 8" speaker I took from an old tube Pilot radio and installed into a hole in the sheetrock.
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Congratulations to your new Aesthetix gear! But @sdrsdrsdr is right, both your DAC and Phono (Rea) should be directly connected to the Calypso to get the best result, and not through that processor.
I am currently running the Rhea into a Casablanca III. My CD player
(Theta Miles) goes into a Kora Hermes II and then to the Casablanca.
Thought or opinions. I also have the Calypso plus the Atlas power amp and the Romulus DAC and love them.I have replaced the new russian stock tubes with good quality NOS Telefunken tubes. I would recommend to try different tubes (if you have not done that yet) as they can result big improvement... |
You said you had both Aesthetix Rhea and Calypso. Why are you running your Rhea into the Casablanca? Isn’t that a surround processor. What is the rest of your front end?
I didn’t mean to comment on spelling. Just pointing out to start off more polite and not criticize others contributions.
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@tomic601
Thanks for the kudos. That was a long time ago. Does my heart good to read encouraging comments. |
@lewm Thanks for your input. I love my sound. Was perplexed by Rauls comment. I’m listening to “Crime of the century”. I’ve had this lp since I was in school(1975) and it still sounds pristine. I’ve learned a lot reading threads about vinyl. My son is getting into streaming and I may follow his lead. I read reports that it’s As good or better than vinyl. The only Benefit I can see is a variety. Perhaps hi Rez. What do I know-I’m an old guy. However, I remember when I was young. I’m excited for him and may follow in his footsteps. |
I used to own a plain Janus, not a Signture version. It was "meh". Then I upgraded all the film caps, using VCaps for coupling and some very fine polystyrene film and foil caps to replace those bundles of 2uF caps. Wow, that made a great improvement. So, I would assume the Sig versions of the Rhea and Calypso are very fine sounding. (Because that's what you get in the Sig version, better caps.)
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@gestalt :
Thank you for your opinion. I agree, Just looking for someone who had, or has the same equipment. |
Loved your story about childhood audio and getting hooked ;-) keep chasing the Dream - I am sure this post will violate the King’s English a time or three. I care about content. I have an Aesthetix Pandora Signature DAC but I have spent countless hours listening to a wide variety of Jim White’s various creations - hard to go wrong as he is both a stellar engineer and can hear !!! Enjoy :-)
jim |
- @sdrsdrsdr
- Your correct. Sometimes I don’t check spellcheck. Chastising me for my spelling isn’t helpful. I see many who make grammatical errors, but never see anyone chastise them for it. I was hoping to find someone who had the same equipment, to give me their opinion, or someone who has had the same and have found something better. I like the equipment I have, but ignorance is bliss.
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Saying what other people write is BS isn’t a good way to start, especially starting a thread with a spelling mistake in your header. It’s all peoples opinions and they are putting effort in writing here. I have a Rhea Sig. It’s an excellent phono stage. |
Sidestepping the question: your opinion is the only one that matters. Does the equipment allow you to emotionally connect with the music? Do you look forward to turning on your system? Does it make you want to keep playing just one more record?
If yes, then congratulations, you're set. Enjoy!
If no, why not? What's missing? |
