Aesthetix Io Users Group

[Ron Resnick]

I used very happily an Io with volume controls directly into my amplifiers for 18 years. Interestingly, I believe Jim White often likes a line stage between the Io and power amplifiers.

Now that I have 50 foot long interconnects to drive I have chosen to insert a line stage preamp with a solid-state output stage between the Io and the amplifiers. This arrangement may also take some tube noise pressure off of the Io, as I won't be asking the Io to generate a full 80dB of gain.

 

[jazdoc]

As is my habit, I invited myself to Mecca, er Mike's today in order to hear the Io. I have very little experience with Aesthetix and was eager to hear it in a top flight rig.

We first spent some time listening to the Saskia and NVS turntables through the CS Port phono preamp to re-establish baseline by listening to some familiar demo tracks:
1. St. Vincent "Slow Disco",
2. Sphere "If I Should Ever Lose You"
3. Opeth "Windowpane"

The addition of the speaker cable lifts added a nice improvement to the system since my last visit as Mike has documented here: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/floating-speaker-cables-on-the-cheap.33707/

Mike introduced the Io into the system. There are a lot of tubes in the Io, but it was as dead quiet as the CS Port. After a bit of warm up, we replayed the demo tracks to get a feel for the sound with the stock tubes. Very nice, but something was clearly subtracted. We decided to start by trying different 6SN7's in the signal box, figuring that there was a lot of potential bang for the buck.

First up: 1943 JAN 231 Ken Rads. The improvement was dramatic and readily apparent. The Ken Rads have a reputation for prodigious bass and did not disappoint. The sound really reached another level of vividness. I left Mike with a number of Fivre, RCA, Tung-Sol and Sylvania 6SN7's to try. I hope he will keep a diary to share with others. We had the thought that the next tube to roll try might be the EL34's in the power supplies….

In the context of Mike's system, I am quite impressed with the Io!

Addendum:
Mike is currently using stock (?Belden?) power cables with the power supplies which are placed on the floor. Wondering what would happen with isolation and upgraded cords???

 

[Ron Resnick]

Thank you for this report! Did you prefer the Io or the CS Port phono?

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Thank you for this report! Did you prefer the Io or the CS Port phono?

i'm not answering for jazdoc, but would say we did not go back to the CS Port after initially listening to it to give us a base line. we switched the phono cables for the Saskia and NVS to the Io Eclipse. and the process for switching phono cables requires a power down of the Io Eclipse before doing that which takes 20 minutes. jazdoc needed to leave.

i was never in the sweet spot for the Ken Rads listening until briefly after jazdoc left. my initial thought is that i would not attempt to rank the two phono's at this point......but say they are different and possibly preference would be a matter of taste as a starting point, now that i hear what one 6SN7 tube can do to take the Io Eclipse to a completely different place performance wise. and there are others to try and roll too. my previous perception with the stock tubes provided me was that it had not quite found the magic (maybe a break-in issue? although the Ken Rads seemed not to care about that).......with the Ken Rads now we are getting someplace good. i have now a box full of 6SN7's from jazdoc's stash, to play with over the coming months to discover where this can go.

the one thing i will say that jazdoc mentions too, is that any perception that the Io Eclipse has excess noise is a dead issue, at least for my unit which is suppose to be up to current spec. if someone has space for the Io Eclipse.........it's quiet. is it as quiet at the CS Port, which is crazy quiet with it's battery/switch mode power supply? maybe not quite, but i need to listen more.

i'm using my Etsuro Gold cartridges, with around .4mv output, and running wide open 47k with zero loading. zero noise.

 

[Kcin]

i'm not answering for jazdoc, but would say we did not go back to the CS Port after initially listening to it to give us a base line. we switched the phono cables for the Saskia and NVS to the Io Eclipse. and the process for switching phono cables requires a power down of the Io Eclipse before doing that which takes 20 minutes. jazdoc needed to leave.

i was never in the sweet spot for the Ken Rads listening until briefly after jazdoc left. my initial thought is that i would not attempt to rank the two phono's at this point......but say they are different and possibly preference would be a matter of taste as a starting point, now that i hear what one tube can do to take the Io Eclipse to a completely different place performance wise. and there are others to try and roll too. my previous perception with the stock tubes provided me was that it had not quite found the magic (maybe a break-in issue? although the Ken Rads seemed not to care about that).......with the Ken Rads now we are getting someplace good. i have now a box full of 6SN7's from jazdoc's stash, to play with over the coming months to discover where this can go.

the one thing i will say that jazdoc mentions too, is that any perception that the Io Eclipse has excess noise is a dead issue, at least for my unit which is suppose to be up to current spec. if someone has space for the Io Eclipse.........it's quiet. is it as quiet at the CS Port, which is crazy quiet with it's battery/switch mode power supply? maybe not quite, but i need to listen more.

i'm using my Etsuro Gold cartridges, with around .4mv output, and running wide open 47k with zero loading. zero noise.

As is my habit, I invited myself to Mecca, er Mike's today in order to hear the Io. I have very little experience with Aesthetix and was eager to hear it in a top flight rig.

on the Saskia and NVS turntables through the CS Port phono preamp to re-establish baseline:
1. St. Vincent "Slow Disco", First we listened to some familiar cuts
2. Sphere "If I Should Ever Lose You"
3. Opeth "Windowpane"

The addition of the speaker cable lifts added a nice improvement to the system since my last visit as Mike has documented here: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/floating-speaker-cables-on-the-cheap.33707/

Mike introduced the Io into the system. There are a lot of tubes in the Io, but it was as dead quiet as the CS Port. After a bit of warm up, we replayed the demo tracks to get a feel for the sound with the stock tubes. Very nice, but something was clearly subtracted. We decided to start by trying different 6SN7's in the signal box, figuring that there was a lot of potential bang for the buck.

First up: 1943 JAN 231 Ken Rads. The improvement was dramatic and readily apparent. The Ken Rads have a reputation for prodigious bass and did not disappoint. The sound really reached another level of vividness. I left Mike with a number of Fivre, RCA, Tung-Sol and Sylvania 6SN7's to try. I hope he will keep a diary to share with others. We had the thought that the next tube to roll try might be the EL34's in the power supplies….

In the context of Mike's system, I am quite impressed with the Io!

Tubes are everything with the Io. I might venture to say that , if your unit has less than 500 hrs on it, it is not broken in yet. The bottom end is the last thing to arrive after the update in my experience. Solving for the bottom end now may change later.

My updated Io is dead quiet as well. Whether the Io meets your priorities is a different question, however, tube rolling and break-in will play a big role in its character.

Have fun.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

As is my habit, I invited myself to Mecca, er Mike's today in order to hear the Io. I have very little experience with Aesthetix and was eager to hear it in a top flight rig.

on the Saskia and NVS turntables through the CS Port phono preamp to re-establish baseline:
1. St. Vincent "Slow Disco", First we listened to some familiar cuts
2. Sphere "If I Should Ever Lose You"
3. Opeth "Windowpane"

The addition of the speaker cable lifts added a nice improvement to the system since my last visit as Mike has documented here: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/floating-speaker-cables-on-the-cheap.33707/

Mike introduced the Io into the system. There are a lot of tubes in the Io, but it was as dead quiet as the CS Port. After a bit of warm up, we replayed the demo tracks to get a feel for the sound with the stock tubes. Very nice, but something was clearly subtracted. We decided to start by trying different 6SN7's in the signal box, figuring that there was a lot of potential bang for the buck.

First up: 1943 JAN 231 Ken Rads. The improvement was dramatic and readily apparent. The Ken Rads have a reputation for prodigious bass and did not disappoint. The sound really reached another level of vividness. I left Mike with a number of Fivre, RCA, Tung-Sol and Sylvania 6SN7's to try. I hope he will keep a diary to share with others. We had the thought that the next tube to roll try might be the EL34's in the power supplies….

In the context of Mike's system, I am quite impressed with the Io!

one reason i pursued the Io Eclipse is i knew i had a disturbed tube mentor in jazdoc , who would hold my hand through sorting it out.

thank you kind friend.

and i agree that the Io Eclipse was transformed into music magic with the Ken Rads 6SN7's. i've only spent a brief 20 minutes so far in the sweet spot but i like it. i need to get my head around what i'm hearing.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Mike, was the flagship Emia phono ever on your radar? It seems to get across the board stellar reviews. Especially after you dipped into Emia for your SUT.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Mike, was the flagship Emia phono ever on your radar? It seems to get across the board stellar reviews. Especially after you dipped into Emia for your SUT.

yes. it's on my very short phono pre list.....the silver $27k version (+SUT). i did not decide not to get that. more, that i saw this used Io Eclipse, and one thing led to another, and i have it. i had owned and loved an early Io in 1999-2001 so i was intrigued by the thought of it. i wanted an alternative phono for my NVS. if i had known it would take 6 months to get the Io in room it might have worked out differently. but that is on me, for not doing my homework.

now that i hear what i'm hearing i'm enjoying living in the moment and what the Io can deliver musically.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Worth the wait, good things come to those who wait, etc.

 

[Ron Resnick]

i'm not answering for jazdoc, but would say we did not go back to the CS Port after initially listening to it to give us a base line. we switched the phono cables for the Saskia and NVS to the Io Eclipse. and the process for switching phono cables requires a power down of the Io Eclipse before doing that which takes 20 minutes. jazdoc needed to leave.

i was never in the sweet spot for the Ken Rads listening until briefly after jazdoc left. my initial thought is that i would not attempt to rank the two phono's at this point......but say they are different and possibly preference would be a matter of taste as a starting point, now that i hear what one 6SN7 tube can do to take the Io Eclipse to a completely different place performance wise. and there are others to try and roll too. my previous perception with the stock tubes provided me was that it had not quite found the magic (maybe a break-in issue? although the Ken Rads seemed not to care about that).......with the Ken Rads now we are getting someplace good. i have now a box full of 6SN7's from jazdoc's stash, to play with over the coming months to discover where this can go.

the one thing i will say that jazdoc mentions too, is that any perception that the Io Eclipse has excess noise is a dead issue, at least for my unit which is suppose to be up to current spec. if someone has space for the Io Eclipse.........it's quiet. is it as quiet at the CS Port, which is crazy quiet with it's battery/switch mode power supply? maybe not quite, but i need to listen more.

i'm using my Etsuro Gold cartridges, with around .4mv output, and running wide open 47k with zero loading. zero noise.

Thank you very much for replying with this post, Mike!

1) I, personally, have always harbored a lingering noise concern about the Io. I am absolutely delighted that I have been wrong, and that Jim White has totally vanquished whatever was the noise issue early in the evolution of the Io.

2) The material improvement in sound you and jazdoc experienced with merely one tube replacement has me thinking that (against my fervent preference) I might have to experiment with tube rolling someday!

 

[jazdoc]

one reason i pursued the Io Eclipse is i knew i had a disturbed tube mentor in jazdoc , who would hold my hand through sorting it out.

thank you kind friend.

and i agree that the Io Eclipse was transformed into music magic with the Ken Rads 6SN7's. i've only spent a brief 20 minutes so far in the sweet spot but i like it. i need to get my head around what i'm hearing.

"Disturbed tube mentor"...I sense a new euphemism or DSM-V diagnosis

 

[dan31]

I still have stock tubes in my Io. Perhaps the 6SN7 and EL34 are good places to start. Perhaps buy some tubes now and make it a retirement project.

 

[oldvinyl]

I still have stock tubes in my Io. Perhaps the 6SN7 and EL34 are good places to start. Perhaps buy some tubes now and make it a retirement project.

My experience with Io tube rolling:

RCA 5692 to replace the 6SN7. The 5692 is a military ruggedized 6SN7, less susceptible to vibration. The 6SN7 supplies the output 6922, the 6922 actually drives the output.

Telefunken CCa to replace the 6922. These are transparent and holographic. Accuracy to pitch and timbre of instruments. Lots of air and ambience.

RCA or Telefunken or quiet Mullards for V1 and V2. These are the most critical for overall influence on noise level and sound signature since their output is amplified by all the other gain stages. That said, at times I have used Tele's in all V1-V6 locations to great effect. My experience is that the Tele's and RCA enhance holographic imaging and perception of soundstage. They are also extremely transparent - they just let through whatever is on the record.

KT-66 to replace the EL34 in the power supply. This will improve bass, soundstaging and overall dynamics.

 

[dan31]

Many thanks OldVinyl!!

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Many thanks OldVinyl!!

me too, thank you!

 

[jazdoc]

My experience with Io tube rolling:

RCA 5692 to replace the 6SN7. The 5692 is a military ruggedized 6SN7, less susceptible to vibration. The 6SN7 supplies the output 6922, the 6922 actually drives the output.

Telefunken CCa to replace the 6922. These are transparent and holographic. Accuracy to pitch and timbre of instruments. Lots of air and ambience.

RCA or Telefunken or quiet Mullards for V1 and V2. These are the most critical for overall influence on noise level and sound signature since their output is amplified by all the other gain stages. That said, at times I have used Tele's in all V1-V6 locations to great effect. My experience is that the Tele's and RCA enhance holographic imaging and perception of soundstage. They are also extremely transparent - they just let through whatever is on the record.

KT-66 to replace the EL34 in the power supply. This will improve bass, soundstaging and overall dynamics.

Do you prefer KT-77 or KT-66 in the Io?

 

[Kcin]

My experience with Io tube rolling:

RCA 5692 to replace the 6SN7. The 5692 is a military ruggedized 6SN7, less susceptible to vibration. The 6SN7 supplies the output 6922, the 6922 actually drives the output.

Telefunken CCa to replace the 6922. These are transparent and holographic. Accuracy to pitch and timbre of instruments. Lots of air and ambience.

RCA or Telefunken or quiet Mullards for V1 and V2. These are the most critical for overall influence on noise level and sound signature since their output is amplified by all the other gain stages. That said, at times I have used Tele's in all V1-V6 locations to great effect. My experience is that the Tele's and RCA enhance holographic imaging and perception of soundstage. They are also extremely transparent - they just let through whatever is on the record.

KT-66 to replace the EL in the power supply. This will improve bass, soundstaging and overall dynamics.

This is bang on Randall.

I like the Tungsol Round plates as well in the the 6SN7 position- but it is difficult to find quiet ones. As well, I can use TFK for 6922-- I use Amperex US 7308 CEP which is very nice in this position. For VI-4 TFK smooth plates all the way.

NOS in the PS is beneficial too. I have Mullard Xf2 El34 for the pass reg.

 

[oldvinyl]

Do you prefer KT-77 or KT-66 in the Io?

KT66. I was fortunate to find several batches of matched NOS quads back when they were still reasonably priced.

by the way I am in Issaquah if you want to have a listen.

 

[oldvinyl]

This is bang on Randall.

I like the Tungsol Round plates as well in the the 6SN7 position- but it is difficult to find quiet ones. As well, I can use TFK for 6922-- I use Amperex US 7308 CEP which is very nice in this position. For VI-4 TFK smooth plates all the way.

NOS in the PS is beneficial too. I have Mullard Xf2 El34 for the pass reg.

Kcin - the Amperex 7308 is also an excellent choice for the Io. My impression was that it had a little more top end sparkle and was a smidge less holographic. Not a right/wrong thing - more like seasoning.

 

[oldvinyl]

As is my habit, I invited myself to Mecca, er Mike's today in order to hear the Io. I have very little experience with Aesthetix and was eager to hear it in a top flight rig.

We first spent some time listening to the Saskia and NVS turntables through the CS Port phono preamp to re-establish baseline by listening to some familiar demo tracks:
1. St. Vincent "Slow Disco",
2. Sphere "If I Should Ever Lose You"
3. Opeth "Windowpane"

The addition of the speaker cable lifts added a nice improvement to the system since my last visit as Mike has documented here: https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/floating-speaker-cables-on-the-cheap.33707/

Mike introduced the Io into the system. There are a lot of tubes in the Io, but it was as dead quiet as the CS Port. After a bit of warm up, we replayed the demo tracks to get a feel for the sound with the stock tubes. Very nice, but something was clearly subtracted. We decided to start by trying different 6SN7's in the signal box, figuring that there was a lot of potential bang for the buck.

First up: 1943 JAN 231 Ken Rads. The improvement was dramatic and readily apparent. The Ken Rads have a reputation for prodigious bass and did not disappoint. The sound really reached another level of vividness. I left Mike with a number of Fivre, RCA, Tung-Sol and Sylvania 6SN7's to try. I hope he will keep a diary to share with others. We had the thought that the next tube to roll try might be the EL34's in the power supplies….

In the context of Mike's system, I am quite impressed with the Io!

Addendum:
Mike is currently using stock (?Belden?) power cables with the power supplies which are placed on the floor. Wondering what would happen with isolation and upgraded cords???

Wondering what would happen with isolation and upgraded cords???

Well .... more "Io-ness". Lots more. The power cables can help with noise floor reduction and same for good stand/rack/shelf for the power supplies. It just keeps getting more refined. Just cleaning the plugs and connectors on the AC plug and IEC connector can make a nice improvement (try some Flitz).

I also got better wire that are shielded for the power supply umbilicals. Had them custom made by Audience. They are also another step up in performance.