Aries Cerat Ianus Essentia Owners thread

[morricab]

I recently borrowed home from a local dealer the smallest sibling in the AC family: Genus with only 25W output. The borrow was intended for a pair of Graham 5/9 speaker however I ended up listening to Genus driving my 2 bigger speakers: Kharma Exquisite Grand 3.0 and Kaiser Kawero Classic.

With only 25W, the mission seems impossible however Genus drives the 2 speakers with a satisfying performance (not perfect of course). The music is with good scale, punch (to a certain extend), and sound stage and a very neutral tone.

I use Dartzeel 18+468 as a reference. I feel a much smaller gap in terms of SQ than the price gap. Genus got me a big interest in the AC lines.

Considering to simplify my system, I’m contemplating a one-box amp. Therefore, I’m thinking Ianus Aperio. However I’m still struggling therefore would like to seek for some advices:

Genus is a pure good surprise with its humble output level and price. But I can see the Genus is reaching its limit in driving the 2 speakers. I wrote to Mr. Stavros and he shared with me the Aperio is a higher level amp with more drive and better SQ than Genus and I trust him wholeheartedly. However, would Aperio be “enough” good to drive the Kharma and Kaiser Kawero?

I could find very limited information about Aperio on the internet, in most cases, it drives high sensitivity speakers. Both my speakers are at 92db, not a tough one But with multiple big woofers.

Appreciating the sound of AC, the other option is switch to an AC setup: local dealer also has a pair of Concero 65 (and 25) built-in power version and a Virgo in stock. This is not such an obvious match since Virgo is much higher up the product family than Concero. This also brings another concern of space. Concero and Virgo and 4 pieces are in big size and weight.

Thanks in advance for advices especially the real-world experiences with the aforementioned AC amps.

Are you in Switzerland? I may have something for you.

 

[ShawnZH]

Thanks Morricab for providing the help. I’m not in Switzerland though. I’m in Shanghai, China. A bit far, but thanks.

There’s a local dealer who has Concero 65 and 25 which can be sent to my home for audition however owning Dartzeel, I don’t have enough room for the big blocks or I have to rearrange those heavy equipments. That’s why I’m considering a one box solution as an alternative to drive the speakers. Not yet ready to give up the Dartzeel for AC while I love the sound of AC.

Are you in Switzerland? I may have something for you.

 

[ShawnZH]

Finally I took a bet on the Aperio and it arrived yesterday. I love the beauty of simplicity. I love more the humble specs (35w) AC gives and the real-world power the 35w could provide. I guess it’ll take some time to burn-in and settle in. Out of box, the Aperio already exceeds my expectation in terms of its driving power. It can drive my 2 speakers fairly good, with a neutral but robust sound. Stavros told me the TriodeFET is worthy to hear. Indeed it is. It has a warmth of tube sound but not mellow, at the same time it has good scale, punch, air and body like those big solid amps but without harshness.

Will report back after some burn-in time.

 

[Willgolf]

Finally I took a bet on the Aperio and it arrived yesterday. I love the beauty of simplicity. I love more the humble specs (35w) AC gives and the real-world power the 35w could provide. I guess it’ll take some time to burn-in and settle in. Out of box, the Aperio already exceeds my expectation in terms of its driving power. It can drive my 2 speakers fairly good, with a neutral but robust sound. Stavros told me the TriodeFET is worthy to hear. Indeed it is. It has a warmth of tube sound but not mellow, at the same time it has good scale, punch, air and body like those big solid amps but without harshness.

Will report back after some burn-in time.
View attachment 119143

Congrats on joining the AC family. My Ianus Ageto Pre Amp is in route.

 

[Pokey77]

Congrats on joining the AC family. My Ianus Ageto Pre Amp is in route.

Awesome, hope it is even better than you thought it would be!

 

[ShawnZH]

Congrats on joining the AC family. My Ianus Ageto Pre Amp is in route.

Congrats Willgolf. I assume my next stop might be Ageto+Ianus monoblocks.

 

[Levitator]

Finally I took a bet on the Aperio and it arrived yesterday. I love the beauty of simplicity. I love more the humble specs (35w) AC gives and the real-world power the 35w could provide. I guess it’ll take some time to burn-in and settle in. Out of box, the Aperio already exceeds my expectation in terms of its driving power. It can drive my 2 speakers fairly good, with a neutral but robust sound. Stavros told me the TriodeFET is worthy to hear. Indeed it is. It has a warmth of tube sound but not mellow, at the same time it has good scale, punch, air and body like those big solid amps but without harshness.

Will report back after some burn-in time.
View attachment 119143

Congrats! The Aperio is fantastic having tried it in my system. I wanted to go separates so ended up with the Essentia instead - enjoy!

 

[ShawnZH]

Congrats! The Aperio is fantastic having tried it in my system. I wanted to go separates so ended up with the Essentia instead - enjoy!

Thank you Levitator. Upgrading from Aperio to Pre/Apm with Essentia, would you share how much “improvement” it takes from an Aperio to an Essentia combo? BTW, would you mind share with me the speaker you use and which model of Essentia you finally get? Thanks.

 

[Levitator]

Thank you Levitator. Upgrading from Aperio to Pre/Apm with Essentia, would you share how much “improvement” it takes from an Aperio to an Essentia combo? BTW, would you mind share with me the speaker you use and which model of Essentia you finally get? Thanks.

Unfortunately I was never able to compare directly the Aperio with Ianus Essentia / pre amp, but given I really enjoyed the Aperio sound after comparing to other amplifiers, I felt that having separates would give me a little more power, openness and flexibility.

I have only recently ordered an Impera Ref pre amp and went this way as the Ageto was just too expensive for me, but still enables me to take advantage of the inverted triode tech. Having recently demoed the Incito S connected to my Essentia’s via AC-link, I’m confident that the Impera and Essentia combo will best the sound of the Aperio, as good as it was

The great thing about AC gear is that even the entry level stuff is world class!

 

[Zappadaddy]

My only concern is that I am giving up my Lampi Horizon for the Kassandra so I hope that given the synergy with an all AC system it will be great. BTW, my only non-AC product is the Lucas Audio LDMS which I love.

So how is it?

 

[Willgolf]

So how is it?

I do not have the Kassandra yet. My Ageto's are lost in transit right now. I should have received them this week.

 

[Zappadaddy]

oh, too bad, hoping you recover it....and let us know when you get it

 

[MJG]

My Ianus Essentias just arrived…

 

[Willgolf]

My Ianus Essentias just arrived…
View attachment 121716

What an incredible system you have. I wish I could hear it. I have not heard the Odeon speakers. I also have the LDMS and Horizon which I love both. I will be trading my Horizon in for the Kassandra 2 reference.
What I find amazing about the Essentia, in addition to the great performance is how cool they run. I did leave my lids off so I could adjust the bias more easily. For the most part though, I have been set and forget. I might play with it more when I set up my Ageto's.

Congrats...that is so cool.

 

[byrdparis]

congrats on a beautiful setup!
amazing system!

 

[morricab]

What an incredible system you have. I wish I could hear it. I have not heard the Odeon speakers. I also have the LDMS and Horizon which I love both. I will be trading my Horizon in for the Kassandra 2 reference.
What I find amazing about the Essentia, in addition to the great performance is how cool they run. I did leave my lids off so I could adjust the bias more easily. For the most part though, I have been set and forget. I might play with it more when I set up my Ageto's.

Congrats...that is so cool.

What input tubes do you use? We installed the E282F (only 1 per amp) inside today…sounds brilliant!

 

[Willgolf]

What input tubes do you use? We installed the E282F (only 1 per amp) inside today…sounds brilliant!

Whatever, Stavros included. It is not easy to see in my rack system. What input tube did you have prior to the E282F? I need to order a spare set on Essentia tubes. What improved with the 282F"s

 

[morricab]

Whatever, Stavros included. It is not easy to see in my rack system. What input tube did you have prior to the E282F? I need to order a spare set on Essentia tubes. What improved with the 282F"s

No tubes were installed. I had a choice of one E282F per amp or two small Russian tubes per amp. Decided to go with E282F. Sounds great!

 

[Golum]

I will be trading my Horizon in for the Kassandra 2 reference.

Hi Will;

Apologies to AC guys for off topic...could you kindly elaborate the reasoning behind this move?

Thanks!

 

[Golum]

My Ianus Essentias just arrived…
View attachment 121716

Big congrats M!!