Aesthetix Io Users Group

[oldvinyl]

I believe the Io pulls close to 400 watts. I think there might be subtle differences depending on model and vintage.

Correct - per the specs on their web site, 350 watts for one power supply. I would allow for that to double with 2 power supplies and allow some headroom. So figure a power source (PS Audio or Strom) needs to supply at least 800 watts for the Io to operate normally. A typical "front end" source component would have 50 watts power. The Io is more like an actual tube amp in terms of power consumption.

 

[oldvinyl]

They are standard off the shelf. These are 12ax7-s tubes from the Art series. They are supposed to be all low-noise. The JJ stock ones came with the Io and were selected by Aesthetix.

you can always contact Aesthetix and order another set of tubes from them, the nice part is that they are tested and graded for noise (selected for low noise)

 

[oldvinyl]

I now have 6 new production Art series Psvane 12AX7S tubes in V1-V3 and Psvane 181-T in place of the stock 6SN7 tubes. To my surprise Psvane 12AX7S are as noisy as the stock JJ tubes. You are spot on about the wind noise and bubbling that comes and goes. I sometimes hear this bubbling, when the ventilator in my bathroom is switched off and then it just goes away. Anyway, with Psvane Art series the noise level is the same as with the stock tubes, and I did not ask for a selection of low noise tubes, just got the last six that were in stock. They sound more transparent, than the stock tubes, will see how it will change with the break in.

for an experiment - what happens if you get your hand close to the cartridge (with tonearm in rest) when the bathroom ventilator is on? if you move your hand closer to the cartridge does it affect the noise?

the reason I ask is that a fan can induce noise through a cartridge or the tonearm wiring or the phono cable through radiated emissions; it might not be conducted through the power line, or --- it can be both

the solution in that case is to try different tonearm cable, make sure that the tonearm cable is grounded (attach to ground nut on back of Io phono stage)

 

[abeidrov]

you can always contact Aesthetix and order another set of tubes from them, the nice part is that they are tested and graded for noise (selected for low noise)

As I said earlier, Psvane Art series tubes are low noise, at the same level as the selected JJ tubes by Aesthetix. And they are better sonically, if I change them, I will do it only with some NOS ones.

 

[vernonwtx]

Concerning new tubes, you might try
* Mullard CV4024 (on eBay ~$30/ea).
* Sophia 12AX7 ($95/ea).
I had good luck with them.

 

[ShawnZH]

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.

Hi Mike,

I recently bought an Aesthetix Io in 3 boxes and liked it very much. It stands shoulder to shoulder with my other 2 amps: Soulution 755 and FM Acoustics 222 MK3. I like Io even a bit more. The only pity is that there's only 1 input.

A question to your last point about loading the Etsuro Gold. I have an Etsuro Gold too. I load it at 74db and 120 ohm. It sounds very fine. But you mentioned that you load it with 47k? It means that you do not plug the jump at all at the rear panel, right? Would 47k a bit too high load for the cart?

Thanks for your reply,
SZ

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Hi Mike,

I recently bought an Aesthetix Io in 3 boxes and liked it very much. It stands shoulder to shoulder with my other 2 amps: Soulution 755 and FM Acoustics 222 MK3. I like Io even a bit more. The only pity is that there's only 1 input.

A question to your last point about loading the Etsuro Gold. I have an Etsuro Gold too. I load it at 74db and 120 ohm. It sounds very fine. But you mentioned that you load it with 47k? It means that you do not plug the jump at all at the rear panel, right? Would 47k a bit too high load for the cart?

Thanks for your reply,
SZ

nice to hear that your Io is holding it's own with those formidable phono's. not surprised based on what i hear too.

i must admit that instead of experimentation on loading on my Etsuro Gold, i asked jazdoc what he was doing on his Etsuro Bordeaux (with his Experience Music phono). he said he has it wide open, 47k, so that is what i did with my Gold. i've not noticed any obvious FR issues. Mik in the UK (member CY108) also runs his 'Gold's' wide open 47k. he mostly uses an ultra 'mental' modified 3 box Io (not sure you can call it an Eclipse any more.....maybe a 'super-nova Platinum version'......all the cable is platinum and i think the transformers are platinum wound.......describing from memories??? of various conversations about it).

which means...."if 47k is desired do not install any jumpers".....which is what i did....nothing. i have experimented with the volume attenuation as far as gain, and am running at 3 o'clock on the dial, less 2 stops. which seems to give me the right gain for optimal sound quality. i'm guessing that is around the low 70db of gain range.

i run my other 2 Etsuro Gold's naked through the EMIA SUT's. the one on the Saskia i switch back and forth from the EMIA to the Io Eclipse from time to time. the Gold on the NVS i switch back and forth from the Io to the darTZeel phono.

i'm going through break-in and tube rolling and so i'm not at an end game point on the changes to the sound of the Io Eclipse where fine tuning is relevant.

 

[ShawnZH]

nice to hear that your Io is holding it's own with those formidable phono's. not surprised based on what i hear too.

i must admit that instead of experimentation on loading on my Etsuro Gold, i asked jazdoc what he was doing on his Etsuro Bordeaux (with his Experience Music phono). he said he has it wide open, 47k, so that is what i did with my Gold. i've not noticed any obvious FR issues. Mik in the UK (member CY108) also runs his 'Gold's' wide open 47k. he mostly uses an ultra 'mental' modified 3 box Io (not sure you can call it an Eclipse any more.....maybe a 'super-nova Platinum version'......all the cable is platinum and i think the transformers are platinum wound).

which means...."if 47k is desired do not install any jumpers".....which is what i did....nothing. i have experimented with the volume attenuation as far as gain, and am running at 3 o'clock on the dial, less 2 stops. which seems to give me the right gain for optimal sound quality. i'm guessing that is around the low 70db of gain range.

i run my other 2 Etsuro Gold's naked through the EMIA SUT's. the one on the Saskia i switch back and forth from the EMIA to the Io Eclipse from time to time. the Gold on the NVS i switch back and forth from the Io to the darTZeel phono.

i'm going through break-in and tube rolling and so i'm not at an end game point on the changes to the sound of the Io Eclipse where fine tuning is relevant.

Thanks Mike for your reply. It is a real eye opener. I’ve never thought about loading Gold with 47k without an SUT. Given what you shared, I will give it a try. My Io is not equipped with a volume knob. To change the gain, I have to switch off the unit, wait for a while to let the capacitors discharge and unplug/plug the gain jumpers. I’d say it is another drawback of Io, not enough convenient.

I compared the Dartzeel 18NS MK2 phono input with my other phonos and liked the sound of it very much. I was exchanging with Herve, who described the sound of his phono very well: transparent, direct, without emphasis on the bloom and bass as many other phonos do… The Dartzeel phono has a special charm, though a bit less scale, impact and details than my other stand-alone phonos. But it is like a complimentary gift with the Pre., no complaints at all.

I ordered quite some NOS Telefunken 12AX7’s and 6SN7’s and EL43’s. There’re hell lot of tubes in the Io. I used a pair of Telefunken 6922/e88cc that I owned previously to replace the stock 6922. It improved the sound quite significantly. It gave me some expectation to roll the other tubes. I’ll see how it goes when the tubes arrive. Will update here.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Thanks Mike for your reply. It is a real eye opener. I’ve never thought about loading Gold with 47k without an SUT. Given what you shared, I will give it a try. My Io is not equipped with a volume knob. To change the gain, I have to switch off the unit, wait for a while to let the capacitors discharge and unplug/plug the gain jumpers. I’d say it is another drawback of Io, not enough convenient.

thanks Shawn; i'll be curious what you find, and likely follow your lead if your 120 ohm is clearly better.

I compared the Dartzeel 18NS MK2 phono input with my other phonos and liked the sound of it very much. I was exchanging with Herve, who described the sound of his phono very well: transparent, direct, without emphasis on the bloom and bass as many other phonos do… The Dartzeel phono has a special charm, though a bit less scale, impact and details than my other stand-alone phonos. But it is like a complimentary gift with the Pre., no complaints at all.

i find that it takes about 90 minutes for the darTZeel phono to find it's magic and get it's 'bogie and flow' on. prior to that it's a bit tame. agree it's not the 'bloom' and 'scale' champ but when i really push it with big music at warp 11 it holds together like a champ and completely maintains it's composure. really separates and resolves soundstage confusion and keeps the flow going.

I ordered quite some NOS Telefunken 12AX7’s and 6SN7’s and EL43’s. There’re hell lot of tubes in the Io. I used a pair of Telefunken 6922/e88cc that I owned previously to replace the stock 6922. It improved the sound quite significantly. It gave me some expectation to roll the other tubes. I’ll see how it goes when the tubes arrive. Will update here.

Jazdoc has supplied me with a number of sets of '6SN7's' to try. i'm just dipping my toe so far.

 

[Kcin]

Hi Mike,

I recently bought an Aesthetix Io in 3 boxes and liked it very much. It stands shoulder to shoulder with my other 2 amps: Soulution 755 and FM Acoustics 222 MK3. I like Io even a bit more. The only pity is that there's only 1 input.

A question to your last point about loading the Etsuro Gold. I have an Etsuro Gold too. I load it at 74db and 120 ohm. It sounds very fine. But you mentioned that you load it with 47k? It means that you do not plug the jump at all at the rear panel, right? Would 47k a bit too high load for the cart?

Thanks for your reply,
SZ

That is great company the Io is keepin @ShawnZH !

I seriously thought about the Soulution 755 after a brief listen to it. I have never managed to hear the FM, however, that is on my wish list as well.

How would you describe the character of the Io against these two formidable SS phono stages?

 

[abeidrov]

Finally, I got hands on 4 Telefunken ECC83 tubes. They are probably not brand new, but the seller assured me, that they are in a very good condition. I should not complain, as I got them for around $100 each, which is not very expensive for Telefunkens.
Anyway, I installed them into V1-V2 instead of Psvane tubes. First impression - very smooth, I would say - too smooth for my test. I think it’s getting better, I really like the overall tone, will give it some time.
I also got a pair of Valvo tubes and another pair of Hoges ECC83. Has anyone tried these tubes in Io?

 

[ShawnZH]

That is great company the Io is keepin @ShawnZH !

I seriously thought about the Soulution 755 after a brief listen to it. I have never managed to hear the FM, however, that is on my wish list as well.

How would you describe the character of the Io against these two formidable SS phono stages?

Hi Kcin,

The Io is just with me for a few days and I'm still exploring the sound of Io. My first impression about Io, compared to the other 2 would be:

Io is the most authentic, robust and full-bodied phono among the 3, with a good balance from tremble to bass, projecting a vast sound stage, very impactful, natural and warm-sounded as tube phono should be. It is a phono for big systems, giving a full spectrum sound.

Soulution 755 is also a very fine phono, with a bit dark tone and bottom-up sound charactoer (Valin's comment from Stereophile). I feel the high frequency is not as airy and opened-up as Io. But it has its own signature of sound. When you listend to 755, you don't feel there's anything missing. 755 is also a phono for big systems, with its very high density sound, clean and fast.

FM Acoustics 222 MK3 is a typical FM sound in its own league. It is very different form any phonos that I owned and heard. It has speed, slam, details and a taste of FM sound characteristics. I feel it a bit more transparent than the other 2, also with a touch of musicality of an FM sound. Among all my phonos, the Dartzeel phono is the closest to FM, thought still not the same.

Regarding the gain Io outperforms the other 2. I use it at 74db (not the highest 80db) to drive Anna D with 0.2mv output. The gain is enough. Though 755 is rated 83db, but I feel it is quite over rated. I use 78db of the 755 to drive Annd D, it is not enough gain in my system. The Dartzeel phono is also pretty sufficent gain.

FM Acoustics 222 is with the lowest gain of 62db at its highest. I feel FM 222 would go best with FM preamps such as FM 266, FM 268 which has a high gain. The synergy of a full FM set is obvious. Plus that the balance output of FM is reversed to many, with its 2nd pin in cold. Therefore if you cannot switch the pin 2 and pin 3, it doesn't work very well with many preamps. A reversed 2/3 pin will make the sound powerless and hollow, making the lower output even weaker in sound.

 

[ShawnZH]

Anyone had the experience to replace the stock EL34 tubes? I am attempted to replace the stock EL34’s with the Genalex Gold Lion KT77’s. But some told me that those tubes don’t work properly on the Io, even would cause damages.

I’m looking for some advices. Thanks.

 

[Jeffy]

Anyone had the experience to replace the stock EL34 tubes? I am attempted to replace the stock EL34’s with the Genalex Gold Lion KT77’s. But some told me that those tubes don’t work properly on the Io, even would cause damages.

I’m looking for some advices. Thanks.

You want ED1 or ED2 Mullard EL-34 from the late 50's. They sound great in the power supply. You will play close to 700.00 a pair for good ones.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

just listed my Io Eclipse for sale. wanted to thank everyone for their kindnesses to me from Aesthetix Nation. everyone has been so helpful. it's a great group. jazdoc gets a gold star for the box full of 6SN7's i have sitting here (will get them back to you 'soon').

i've been trying to find time to give the Io the attention it deserves but i have too many balls in the air right now to attend to the tube rolling and can see a need simplify for now. i could see returning at another time to this.

cheers,

Mike

 

[spiritofmusic]

Mike, at least I don't have to badger you for your final SQ verdict Lol.

 

[ShawnZH]

You want ED1 or ED2 Mullard EL-34 from the late 50's. They sound great in the power supply. You will play close to 700.00 a pair for good ones.

Thanks Jeffy. I’ll look into that. Appreciate the advice.

 

[oldvinyl]

Anyone had the experience to replace the stock EL34 tubes? I am attempted to replace the stock EL34’s with the Genalex Gold Lion KT77’s. But some told me that those tubes don’t work properly on the Io, even would cause damages.

I’m looking for some advices. Thanks.

Have a look back through the threads. Io owners have used KT66 in place of EL34 for decades. I tried some NOS Mullard EL34s about 20 years ago, but noticed no significant change/improvement (as compared with KT66).

In theory, a KT77 should work fine - should being the operative word.

As a first step - contact Aesthetix and confirm that the power supply(s) will allow tube substitution for the EL34.

Note that the KT66 is taller than the EL34, so I used some spacers to allow them the additional space.

 

[Jeffy]

Have a look back through the threads. Io owners have used KT66 in place of EL34 for decades. I tried some NOS Mullard EL34s about 20 years ago, but noticed no significant change/improvement (as compared with KT66).

In theory, a KT77 should work fine - should being the operative word.

As a first step - contact Aesthetix and confirm that the power supply(s) will allow tube substitution for the EL34.

Note that the KT66 is taller than the EL34, so I used some spacers to allow them the additional space.

Did you try the ED1 Mullard's, if not all bets are off.

 

[ShawnZH]

Did you try the ED1 Mullard's, if not all bets are off.

Hi Jeffy, I don’t have the chance to try any ED1/2 Mullard’s yet. Those are rare and expensive tubes and also it is challenging to find 2 pairs of well-matched Mullard’s.

I finally bought 2 pairs of Genalex Gold Lion KT77, just to try to see if it works. Those are not expensive tubes and I can afford to scrapping it If it doesn’t work. The KT77 can replace the EL34 well and gives a noticeable sound improvement. The background becomes quieter, darker. This is the most significant improvement among others. It takes the “speed” of the Io to a bit faster pacing, which works pretty well to my personal taste.