Author Topic: Mulling over a new phono preamp  (Read 16909 times)

jsaliga

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #15 on: October 30, 2011, 08:07:05 AM »
I just closed a deal for the Aesthetix Rhea.

--Jerome

Offline rollo

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #16 on: October 30, 2011, 08:38:12 AM »
  Congrats and a VG decision. So when is the Mini Rave ????
Enjoy !!!


charles
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Offline BobM

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #17 on: October 31, 2011, 06:00:15 AM »
That Aesthetix Rhea would definitely be on my short list of very good, and great, relatively affordable (but still expensive) phono stages. Congrats for sure. I'm looking forward to hearing your impressions of it. I've heard nothing but excellent reviews of it.
Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you'll have to blow your nose.

jsaliga

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #18 on: November 23, 2011, 02:19:05 PM »
My Aesthetix Rhea was delivered earlier this afternoon.  Weighing in at 40 pounds, it is massive.  It even dwarfs my preamp.  It's a full size component and takes up an entire shelf.

Here are some pics...



It has a compliment of 10 tubes, 5 for each channel of this dual mono design.



Look at how tiny the Ray Samuels Audio F-117 Nighthawk is compared to the Rhea.  Talk about David and Goliath.



And here is the Rhea in my rack.

A lot of thought went into the design of this product.  I have seen a lot of expensive components pay a great deal of attention to the business end of the design while glossing over user interface and appearance.  This is one slick looking product, and the user interface is fantastic.  If you want to change gain or loading simply press the corresponding button on the front panel, and then press the left side of the display glass to increase the setting and right side to decrease it.  The Rhea has both balanced and unbalanced outputs and can accommodate up to three tonearms.

I'm sure most of you want to know how it sounds.  In a word, outstanding.  But then again so did the RSA F-117 Nighthawk and it sells for $3,900 less than a brand new Aesthetix Rhea.

Still, I don't want to sell the Rhea short.  While my experience with it amounts to just a few hours it has the tube warmth I was after and combines that with great speed, detail, and dynamics.  It is also very quiet for a tube phono preamp, almost as quiet as the RSA F-117 which runs on a Lithium Ion battery.  

So far I am very pleased with the Rhea.  It will be interesting to see what I can do with a little tube rolling.  It has a nice compliment of tubes right now, with a matched quad of NOS RCA 12AX7 in the first gain stage, a pair of Mullard 12AX7 tubes in the second gain stage, and a pair of Electro Harmonix 12AX7s in the third gain stage.  I will probably swap out the Russian tubes for some NOS Amperex, Sylvania, or Siemens tubes and fit the output stage with a pair of Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8 tubes.  But I have to say that the sonics are just fine with the compliment of tubes that are in it, though I might find something to nit pick about later.

I would have never ponied up the $4,695 that this piece commands brand new, but at the $2,475 I paid for it I think it was a great deal.
« Last Edit: November 23, 2011, 02:59:54 PM by jsaliga »

Offline richidoo

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #19 on: November 23, 2011, 03:54:00 PM »
Super sweet, Jerome! Congratulations on your upgrade.

jsaliga

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #20 on: November 26, 2011, 07:23:19 AM »
Thanks Rich.  I am coming to appreciate the Rhea as I spend  more and more time listening to it.

Some tube upgrades are on the way.  I am going to stick with the RCA smooth plate matched quad in the first gain stage for now as they are very low noise tubes, but the second and third gain stages are going to be replaced with a matched quad of Telefunken 12AX7 smoothplates.  The output stage will get a pair of Siemens CCa tubes, which to my ears is the best in the 6922/6DJ8 class.

--Jerome

jsaliga

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #21 on: November 27, 2011, 02:35:21 PM »
I guess the tube upgrades couldn't come soon enough.  One of the RCA 12AX7 smooth plates in the left channel is going bad -- starting to get noisy.  It's in the 1st gain stage.  I swapped it out with the right channel to confirm.  Definitely the tube.

I am going to change out all ten tubes and be done with it.  In hindsight I should have planned to do a complete tube replacement when I bought the Rhea.

--Jerome
« Last Edit: November 27, 2011, 02:37:35 PM by jsaliga »

Offline etcarroll

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #22 on: November 27, 2011, 02:42:56 PM »
"but at the $2,475 I paid for it I think it was a great deal."

Were you holding a gun in your hand at the time the purchase happened?

Nice get!!!  :thumb:
"...if you want to enjoy your gear, don't listen to anything that might be better."

Offline richidoo

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #23 on: November 27, 2011, 04:53:04 PM »
That's often how it goes with used tube equipment, the vintage tubes that sweeten the deal are often pretty tired. Good thing is, you can fix it yourself, and a new set of NOS will last several years even at your burn rate!  :thumb:

jsaliga

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #24 on: November 27, 2011, 05:47:55 PM »
It isn't a big deal Rich.  The tubes that the seller supplied with the Rhea were not a buying point for me.  The RCA smooth plates are nice NOS 12AX7 tubes to be sure, as I have used them in other applications, but it isn't like good tubes of this type are hard to come by.

--Jerome

Offline rollo

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #25 on: November 29, 2011, 08:22:35 AM »
   Someone is having fun. Enjoy the new toy.


charles
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contact me  at rollo14@verizon.net or visit us on Facebook
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jsaliga

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #26 on: November 30, 2011, 04:47:46 PM »
Replacement tubes arrived today.  I actually bought a mix of different tubes.  I even bought some cryo treated Sovtek 12AX7LPS and new stock Mullard 12AX7 tubes from Cryoset.

Right now I have the 12AX7LPS tubes in the first gain stage, two matched pairs of NOS Amperex Bugle Boy 12AX7 tubes in the second and third gain stages, and a matched pair of NOS Philips Valvo 6DJ8 tubes in the output buffer stage.

The sound is pretty sweet with minimal noise.

Also on hand is a matched quad of Telefunken 12AX7 smooth plates.

--Jerome

Offline rollo

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Re: Mulling over a new phono preamp
« Reply #27 on: November 30, 2011, 05:50:43 PM »
  Tubey doobie do as Flintstone might say.  :rofl: :rofl:


charles
SMA
contact me  at rollo14@verizon.net or visit us on Facebook
Lamm Industries - Aqua Acoustic, Formula & La Scala DAC- INNUOS  - Rethm - Kuzma - QLN - Audio Hungary Qualiton - Fritz speakers -Gigawatt -Vinnie Rossi,TWL, Swiss Cables, Merason DAC.