What preamps outshine the Aesthetix Calypso?

Edorr, I have tried the PW DAC straight into my VAC Phi 200. I even bought a Lightspeed Attenuator to try, given the supposed shortcomings of a digital volume control. After a few weeks, I just did not like the sound, as the soundstage seemed to collapse and the bass was MIA. I put the Calypso back in the chain and much preferred it to the amp-direct and passive preamp setup. Makes me think the Modwright might not float my boat.

The BAT preamps sound increasingly appealing. Most reviewers/owners impressions mention how they throw a really wide soundstage and provide really deep bass. If they are slightly dark, that is OK with me, as a lot of CDs sound a bit "peeky" in my current setup.

My short list of used preamps for $5K includes first and foremost Ayre K-1xe then VAC Renaissance followed by VTL 6.5

As you can imagine, all of the above rarely show up on the used market, although lately I've seen a few K-1xe's, (mostly due to the fact that the model is discontinued.)

I went from the Calypso to the Modwright 36.5 and think it is Dan's best work. I auditioned the Ref 3, CJ ACT and the VK51se before choosing the Modwright. I have the single box version and am quite happy. The bass response on the 36.5 I found better than the other units. I think Edorr's recommendation is a good one.

I upgraded to the Calypso Signature and could not be happier. More musical and dynamic with less noise, but also more $$$$. Not as sensitive to tube selection...I can hardly find a tube that sounds bad in it unless the tube has a defect. If you spend the time matching the right tubes and have a good system(room too)the standard Calypso can be all you need.

It seems a bit odd that this thread never brought up the obvious step up from the Calypso: the Callisto Signature. If you think you're impressed with the Calypso's power supply, have a look at the Callisto's. A dozen updated parts to make a Calypso into a Signature still does not put it in the same league as the Callisto. The Callisto's 3D performance has much to do with its tube power supply.

Spending a fortune on tubes for the Calypso is just not going to do it. My friend maxed out his Calypso with Mullard 10M 12ax7 and we tried virtually every 6922 variation out there. A Callisto loaded with Sovtek tubes easily destroys the Calypso in any implementation. It's so much about the tube power supply.

Before I got the Callisto Signature, I had the BAT 31SE. I directly compared this to a friend's Calypso and the new Callisto Signature. I would take the BAT over the Calypso as the BAT's 3D performance easily beat the Calypso. But the BAT was lacking detail, extension and clarity compared to the Calypso. The Callisto Signature combined the strengths of the other two, and rightfully so.

The Callisto Sig is on occasion at the $5k price. But it's hard to find. My next choice would be to hunt down a BAT 51SE