Aesthetix Metis Linestage
- Thread starter Reinhard
- Start date
This is my first post and this thread was oh so timely as I have decided to move away from my beloved ARC LS-15 and go Aesthetix Calypso Eclipse to mate with my Rhea Eclipse. I had seriously considered a Ref 6SE but thought some system synergy would be provided with the Calypso. I know I have talked Glenn's ear off I'm sure. The Metis feedback was on point! I'll try to adjust profile data so my system and location is shared on posts unless it's on auto. I welcome all feedback on the Calypso vs Metis assuming that I won't lose sleep not staying with ARC
Welcome xagwell!
A funny thing happened (to me) on the way to musical ecstasy…
I have owned a Calypso and Rhea and loved them. Sent both five years later to be Signature updated and enjoyed the heck out of those improvements. Now my beloved Rhea has been Eclipsed (to spectacular results) and the Calypso has made room for a Metis. What a long great trip it’s been.
Well, it has been several months now, lots of good listening, and though I felt like this may have been a bit of an extravagance, because how much better could the musical performance actually get? I can confirm that the Aesthetix team has outdone themselves with this new reference design.
There are only four values, one elegant chassis, and no additional boxes as it has on board power supplies and yet it is perfectly clear to me that the Metis could very well outperform their previous three box Callisto! Of which I have listened to extensively in pre-eclipse levels.
It is so amazingly quiet and incredibly transparent. I truly don’t believe I could be more happy with this (kit) combination. With my OTL Atma-Sphere power amps the combined performance is otherworldly. Tonality and speed set a new standard for me and the soundstage is immense with this latest addition to the point that I am not searching anymore. This is it!
Backpackers very well written comments earlier in this thread I would have to echo here. He covered most of what my listening experience can confirm but I could not find adequate words to express.
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I get to here this piece in my system next week. Quite excited...
Please let us know how it sounds in your system
It would be nice to know the associated equipment too
The demo unit is black with silver knobs. My wife says it reminds her of a Fembot from Austin Powers.
So, for awhile, the Metis has been about as cuddly as a FemBot in my system... There were brand new tubes included. I am now running continuously, and hearing significant improvement. Judgements on hold for now.
As I commented before, mine came to me with less than one year of light use by a reputable gentleman. It seemed to settle in almost immediately. It arrived with a full complement of NOS Telefunkens. The 12AX7s are smooth plate as they should be. So there was no Fembot action whatsoever for me. But temper all this with the understanding of me being a long time Aesthetix listener/fan.
Are you running the stock tube compliment provided by Aesthetix?
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Yes, they were new tubes. Demo straight from the factory. I ran intermittently last week. Now going straight for about 48 hours. Also installed some better isolating power cables. I think new tubes and system noise were an issue. I've owned a Pandora, and listened to Aesthetix at RMAF many times. Sound last pm and this am settling in to more predicted results.
Fembot is gone. Softening and rounding. Will we end up at Kate Upton? Or somewhere in between?
The Metis shipped with new tubes. It sounded frankly terrible intially; all sorts of odd phase related sounds. These completely resolved with about 72 hours of burn in. After that, it sounded quite extraordinary. Excellent 3D soundstage, nice rounding and shaping of vocals and instruments. In the end, there was a slight alteration of tonality of the deeper instruments that just wasn't to my taste. I discussed with my dealer. I think the Metis may be the ultimate tube/imaging machine. I just have a preference for the solid state sound. I am going with an Accuphase C3900. It doesn't offer as much airiness or holography as the Metis, but I do prefer the image density and "directness". Again, I think this is just a personal preference. I really liked the interface of the Metis, and believe Jim White is a genius. If anyone else out there reviews this comment as a reference, I would highly recommend this piece. As with all pre amps, it helps paint the sound in the way that you prefer, to bring you the experience you enjoy.
I would only caution you that though this may be more than you or someone else cares to deal with, NOS tubes create nothing short of a huge voicing refinement to this already excellent piece of gear. I have had a Rhea phonostage for well over a decade and the Metis is now my second preamp by Aesthetix so I have done a bit of rolling. And what I’ve learned along the way is that NOS tube selection takes this sound to a whole nother level and voices it specifically to your ear and emotional/expressive needs musically. If you were anywhere near the Detroit area, I would invite you over and let you hear the difference between what a stock current production set of tubes sounds like as opposed to hand selected vintage set sounds like, and this component only takes four tubes. Imho I could not live with the stock tube sound now that I have experienced the difference(.) It is truly a paradigm shift. It would be unfortunate for you to not know the difference, if you don’t. But I totally respect you crafting a kit that brings you personal satisfaction.
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Thanks for your reply. I agree the Metis is excellent, and I can understand the benefits of tube rolling. I am a big fan of Aesthetix. At the end, no "caution" is needed. I worked with my dealer who has both Aesthetix and Accuphase, and loves both. This was a situation where my preference leaned toward a slightly warm solid state vs tube.
If I am in the Detroit area, I would love to hear your system. I grew up on a farm about 4 hours south, about 30 minutes west of I 75, though now am in Boulder. If I come by though, I will be wearing scarlet and gray....
Has anyone attempted to control the Aesthetix Metis line stage remotely, using either the mini IR jack or the RS 232 jack (both of which are on the back of the Metis)? In my case, the Metis and all the other components are located in an "audio closet" that is not within line of sight from the listening space such that the excellent IR remote provided by Aesthetix will not work. I understand that a universal remote control (such as the URC MX 990) can be used, which would communicate by RF with a base station (e.g., the URC MRF 350) which in turn would be plugged into the mini IR port. One audio dealer has recommended this approach to me as simpler than the RS 232 protocol and also very reliable. I am somewhat concerned about possible RF noise from the base station. Thank you for any experience you have with either approach.
Have you tried contacting Glenn Buckley at Aesthetix? They are most helpful in my experience with such things
Closing the loop on this, I did hear back from Aesthetix - from none other than Jim White (founder, chief engineer, and CEO) in fact. Jim was very helpful, had experience addressing my issue, and suggested a simple, elegant, and inexpensive solution. Specifically, he suggested attaching an IR extender cable to the IR port on the back of the Aesthetix Metis preamp. Because of the common wall between my “audio closet” and the listening space, I will be able to route the extender cable into the listening space through an existing audio outlet in the common wall that now houses a USB port (for the head-tracking camera used as part of the BACCH speaker crosstalk cancellation system). I then will be able to aim the Metis remote at the IR sensor on the end of this extender cable and use the Metis remote as if I were standing in front of the preamp. Elegant and simple.
Jim epitomizes outstanding client support. And the Metis preamp is a superb reference preamp, which is now the top of Aesthetix’s line of preamps. It uses four tubes (two for each channel’s fully-balanced gain stage) but also avoids the use of coupling capacitors through novel technology that Jim designed. Unlike solid state preamps, all the tube preamps I know of use coupling capacitors. Coupling capacitors (even high-end ones) can degrade sound, including causing bass notes to be wooly and diffuse. The Metis also has a “floating” power supply section, which is self-contained and literally separates entirely from the main chassis when the preamp’s HRS Nimbus footers are placed on a rack, providing the benefits of a two-box, separate power supply design without the need to take up additional rack space. No doubt in part due to the absence of coupling capacitors and the novel power supply, the Metis produces exquisite sound.
Jim epitomizes outstanding client support. And the Metis preamp is a superb reference preamp, which is now the top of Aesthetix’s line of preamps. It uses four tubes (two for each channel’s fully-balanced gain stage) but also avoids the use of coupling capacitors through novel technology that Jim designed. Unlike solid state preamps, all the tube preamps I know of use coupling capacitors. Coupling capacitors (even high-end ones) can degrade sound, including causing bass notes to be wooly and diffuse. The Metis also has a “floating” power supply section, which is self-contained and literally separates entirely from the main chassis when the preamp’s HRS Nimbus footers are placed on a rack, providing the benefits of a two-box, separate power supply design without the need to take up additional rack space. No doubt in part due to the absence of coupling capacitors and the novel power supply, the Metis produces exquisite sound.
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