Aesthetix Calypso VS ARC Reference 3

Is the Ref 3 twice as good? No. The law of diminishing returns is in effect.

I have not heard the Ref3 but I'm very eager to compare it to the Aria WV. However I heard a Calypso with premium tubes directly against the Callisto Sig. several times and it was not even close....not even close! The Callisto was way beyond twice as good as the Calypso because of the Callisto's ability to portray space, body of instruments and to carry the sound far beyond the edges of the speakers. And the Calypso here was dead quiet. Tonality is very very close but the Callisto digs a bit deeper in the bottom octave as well.

In many shootouts I find pros and cons and subtle refinements between two components. But that is not the case between these two Aesthetix line stages. And I truly cannot imagine such a similarity between the Ref3 and the Calypso. If these two pieces are truly that close then I cannot understand what's with all the praise over the Ref3.

I just gotta hear the Ref3 myself I guess. Or should I wait for the Ref5?

John

Ckoffend - Before you spend another $500+ on a pair of Mullard 12ax7 10M's, you might just want to try a pair of Sylvania 5751 triple mica black plate. They run around $60-80 a pair regularly on ebay. You might be pleasantly shocked. Once I heard these, I have not bought another 12ax7 pair and I went through a bunch. As for the 6922 socket, the Valvo or Amperex PQ pinched waist tubes are smooth smooth vs. the Philips and Tele that I used before in the Aesthetix, CAT and Aria gear.

If a device is sensitive to a power cord it is very poorly designed.

I never understand why people make such generalizations like this.

Rwwear, your statement would then imply that Ken Stevens of CAT, Michael Elliot of Aria/Counterpoint, Alex Peychev of APL, Jim White of Aesthetix and Roger West of SoundLab, all designers of top-tier products that I have much experience with, are all poor designers. Products from these companies (in my system) respond significantly to power cord changes. Please do not attack the designer of the product but rather the implementer of the completed system.

Kschiu: Sorry about the jump in price on the 5751. That sometimes happens when there is a frenzy with auctions. If you can find a good deal on a GE or RCA pair, the triple mica might also work out well. I only compared the Sylvania and the JAN to the various 12ax7's I had and the Sylvania was significantly more full-bodied and clear compared to the JAN in the CAT JL-3 amps I was comparing them in.

Concerning the use of a tube line stage in "bypass" mode for movies, I am in full agreement.....it makes no sense unless you can do this with the line stage powered off. I contacted a few preamp companies about this exact feature and I got the same answer: their product needs to be powered on. The new Aria WV that I have had for two months is the first tube line stage that I am aware of that defaults to bypass mode when powered off.