New Pilium Gear!!!!

dmundy

Well-Known Member
Jun 17, 2020
5
39
78
50
Hi All,

My first post here!

Last year in the happy age before Covid, when we traveled for fun, I had a few hours to kill in NYC and I called Rhapsody Audio to see if I could visit the shop with all this wonderful stuff! I’m glad I did.

First: meeting Bob was an absolute pleasure. In short, he’s a genuinely nice guy. I would sum up his attitude on audio as “this stuff should make you happy.” Second: in a room full of beautiful Japanese tube gear and exotic turntables he was streaming and using a large integrated cube, of a brand I was unfamiliar with called Pilium. Since that day I have tried to listen to as much as I could, and I kept remembering it and thinking it was the best gear I’d ever heard. It’s just “right.”

So a few weeks ago when I fried an amplifier, I used it as an excuse to buy a Pilium Alexander Preamp and an Achilles amplifier. Bob could not have been any better to deal with. When I got the gear in my house I knew I should wait a day, so naturally I fired everything right up!!! I instantly knew I had made the right choice. Within a few days I reached a happy point. There might be a better amp and preamp, but I don’t care.

A few notes: the amp is HEAVY. About 280lbs. I am used to moving things myself, this is simply not possible for me and this amplifier. It runs cooler than any electronics I have owned. Including non audio gear. It’s cool to the touch after many hours of use. For those of us in hot humid areas (I live in the Houston area) this is a bonus. Bob said warmup time was 20 minutes for the gear and frankly I didn’t believe it. But they warm up in about 20 minutes!

My speakers are Rockport Aviors, server is an SGM Extreme, and DAC is a Lampi GG2. These all seem to be a very happy combination. Vinyl is currently not connected for “moving stuff around” reasons, so I can’t comment on that.

Sonics are tough for me to describe, as I’ve never attempted a review. I would say that the notes hang in the air like a good tube system, but I am not saying it sounds tube like. It’s neither warm nor analytical. Obviously this next statement is a bit of a guess but I’d say the preamp seems to have all the benefits of added gain, with none of the downside. The system is neutral to my ear without at all being harsh or sterile.

A few weeks in, to say I’m happy with Pilium is an understatement.

Sorry for the clutter and non professional picture! IMG_6672.jpeg
 

advanced101

VIP/Donor
May 3, 2017
247
178
233
Houston, huh? Whenever you are open to visitors I would love to come listen. I will extend the same offer.
 
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timztunz

Well-Known Member
Apr 23, 2018
157
103
150
Texas
Another Houston offer of the same! Welcome.
 

ALF

Well-Known Member
Mar 15, 2012
531
243
955
Southwest
Hey dmundy,

Nice setup along with the accompanying writeup with the new Pilium kit! That amplifier is a beast...I heard the Achilles stereo amplifier with Bob at his Rhapsody Audio shop in NYC. There is really stellar performance from the Pilium gear, you will be really happy, congratulations!

vbw,
-a
 

Esotar

VIP/Donor
Mar 27, 2016
411
361
340
South Korea
www.digituslabs.kr
KakaoTalk_20200626_021508254.jpg

Here is my customers' system.

Arteluthe [Stiletto]

Pilium [Alexander] & [Hercules]

Taiko Audio [SGM Extreme]

Lampizator [Golden Atlantic]
 

Ron Resnick

Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Jan 24, 2015
16,017
13,346
2,665
Beverly Hills, CA
Welcome to WBF, dmundy!
 
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Thieliste

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2014
815
295
285
53
Very interesting gear, i will try to investigate on this brand when possible.
Wonder how Pilium pre-power would compare to Audionet Stern-Heisenberg.
 
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Esotar

VIP/Donor
Mar 27, 2016
411
361
340
South Korea
www.digituslabs.kr
Esotar, do you know the name of the rack system used by your customer?

Sorry for late answer.

That audio rack is Korean product.

The rack name is Hotdog Rack.

Very popular.

But Hotdog Rack is one man brand, so he can make very small amount.

1 stage price is $ 550. (Not included shipping cost)

When he can sell his racks to the world, I'll introduce Hotdog rack.

Very awesome~!
 
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Rhapsody

VIP/Donor
Jan 16, 2013
3,366
6,275
2,535
Brooklyn NY
Rhapsody.Audio
Very interesting gear, i will try to investigate on this brand when possible.
Wonder how Pilium pre-power would compare to Audionet Stern-Heisenberg.

imho they are both VG electronics, probably personal preference like everything else.
 
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bvdiman

Well-Known Member
Mar 7, 2013
69
10
240
I thought it’ll be around $550/stage, priced around the Hotdog ones said above.. Not bad.
Quite shocked when local dealer quoted me $14,520 for this 3-tiers new Korean HifiStay ‘Mythology’ rack.
Not tried/heard yet, but for the dollars rather not we bet on track proven older kids on the block—SRA, CM, Symp etc.—no?
*sorry for the slight derailment.
 

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Forte

Well-Known Member
Feb 16, 2017
95
64
148
Seems many high end brands hover around $1-2k per level with the “platforms” or feet costing an additional $1k+.
Sorry we shook probably keep this thread related to Pilium.
 

bvdiman

Well-Known Member
Mar 7, 2013
69
10
240
Hi All,

My first post here!

Last year in the happy age before Covid, when we traveled for fun, I had a few hours to kill in NYC and I called Rhapsody Audio to see if I could visit the shop with all this wonderful stuff! I’m glad I did.

First: meeting Bob was an absolute pleasure. In short, he’s a genuinely nice guy. I would sum up his attitude on audio as “this stuff should make you happy.” Second: in a room full of beautiful Japanese tube gear and exotic turntables he was streaming and using a large integrated cube, of a brand I was unfamiliar with called Pilium. Since that day I have tried to listen to as much as I could, and I kept remembering it and thinking it was the best gear I’d ever heard. It’s just “right.”

So a few weeks ago when I fried an amplifier, I used it as an excuse to buy a Pilium Alexander Preamp and an Achilles amplifier. Bob could not have been any better to deal with. When I got the gear in my house I knew I should wait a day, so naturally I fired everything right up!!! I instantly knew I had made the right choice. Within a few days I reached a happy point. There might be a better amp and preamp, but I don’t care.

A few notes: the amp is HEAVY. About 280lbs. I am used to moving things myself, this is simply not possible for me and this amplifier. It runs cooler than any electronics I have owned. Including non audio gear. It’s cool to the touch after many hours of use. For those of us in hot humid areas (I live in the Houston area) this is a bonus. Bob said warmup time was 20 minutes for the gear and frankly I didn’t believe it. But they warm up in about 20 minutes!

My speakers are Rockport Aviors, server is an SGM Extreme, and DAC is a Lampi GG2. These all seem to be a very happy combination. Vinyl is currently not connected for “moving stuff around” reasons, so I can’t comment on that.

Sonics are tough for me to describe, as I’ve never attempted a review. I would say that the notes hang in the air like a good tube system, but I am not saying it sounds tube like. It’s neither warm nor analytical. Obviously this next statement is a bit of a guess but I’d say the preamp seems to have all the benefits of added gain, with none of the downside. The system is neutral to my ear without at all being harsh or sterile.

A few weeks in, to say I’m happy with Pilium is an understatement.

Sorry for the clutter and non professional picture! View attachment 67971

Congrats!
Heard great things about Pilium from my dealer. He’ll be importing Alexander/Hercules, as well the AudioNet Stern/Heisenberg combo. Hope he’ll offer a listen prior delivery to customers.
 
Last edited:

Thieliste

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2014
815
295
285
53
Congrats!
Heard great things about Pilium from my dealer. He’ll be importing Alexander/Hercules, as well the AudioNet Stern/Heisenberg combo. Hope he’ll offer me a listen prior delivery to customers.
Can you report if it's possible to make a shootout between the Pilium pre-power and the Audionet pre-power.
 
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Reactions: bvdiman

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