NOS Tubes In My Aesthetix Calypso

i am so impressed with how my aesthetix calypso has transformed that i felt i should post here for those out there considering rolling tubes in this preamp. my calypso came with sovtek 6922 and mullard (reissue) 12ax7 tubes, and configured as such, sounded pretty good. very good, actually. i experienced none of the noise issues that others have so often reported. compared to my previous preamp, a CounterPoint SA 5.1, i found the stock calypso to be a touch less forward with highs that were slightly less emphasized. i wouldn't characterize it as laid back or dark, it was just lacking a little of the 'zip' of the CounterPoint. where the calypso did excel was at the other end of the scale - the bass is just in another league altogether - powerful, but always tight and controlled.

when i read that the calypso responded quite dramatically to tube rolling, i decided to give it a shot and contacted koray at nostubestore.com - he was excellent to deal with. He was extremely helpful, his advice was spot-on, and he was always very quick to respond to all my questions (and there were many). the tubes shipped right when he said they would and arrived in great shape.

this is my first go at tube rolling with the calypso, and i am SERIOUSLY impressed. fitted with a pair of Sylvania Triple Mica Black Plate 5751's and Amperex Holand Orange Globe 6922's, the calypso has gone from simply great to positively incredible. from top to bottom, it just sounds right. lively without being bright, solid bass without sounding slow of muffled. if i experiment further, it would be to add just a little more emphasis to the treble - perhaps a siemens 5751, tungsram 12AX7 or telefunken ribbed plate 12AX7.

if you've got a stock calypso, you really have no idea what this preamp is capable of - try some different tubes, you'll likely be very pleasantly surprised.