Knowing that I have spent almost two decades building systems for Sound Rooms one thru three in my household, my brother asked me for advice on purchasing a high end system for his den. The qualifications were, have no more than three components that were clean and elegant. Have world class-full range sound with multichannel capability, and have the system source component capable of playing CD's & DVD's.
He asked me if he should buy a system off of Audiogon. I told him that was always an option, but that going to a great 2-Channel dealer, and letting them pull together a couple of their favorite systems in his pricerange should be a real consideration.
Well......that is exactly what he ended up doing. Here is the result.....
The Sound......Every bit as good as my main system at 1/3 the cost. No tweaks, no fancy cabling, no burn-in period. I am not saying that every Johnny come lately, burned out because they installed too many plasmas this week, audio salesperson can get you these results, but if you find somebody passionate enough...the results can be astonishing. Props to the whole team at Audio Connection in NJ!
What they say... Fully balanced differential circuitry with ability to internally balance a single ended input signal. Discrete resistor volume control with 88 1dB steps. All tube amplification and output (4 tubes total). Two sets of XLR and two sets of RCA outputs per channel. Bypass mode for home theatre processor throughput. Absolute phase, selectable via front panel or remote control. Full function remote included. What I Say...Having listened to and owned some of the worlds great preamps (Audio Research REF 2&3, Audible Illusions, Conrad Johnson, Krell, McIntosh) This Tube Line Stage is in the same league....Beautiful Rich Sound, detailed, layered, and missing nothing!
Aesthetix Atlas
What they say..... Hybrid amplifier: Bipolar output stage, bipolar driver stage, vacuum tube gain stage. Zero global feedback, fully differential amplifier.
Gain stage using one 6SL7 tube per channel.
Stereo amplifier: 200 watts per channel into 8 ohms; 400 watts per channel into 4 ohms.
Amplifier has a built-in high-pass crossover. 6 dB / octave, 16 settings from 40 Hz to 200 Hz in approximate 10 Hz increments. What I say......Great AMP! Zero Feedback design produces a clean rich sound. When you consider the internal crossover and Jim White's collaborative efforts with Richard Vandersteen, pairing these with anything in the Vandersteen line produces sheer magic!
Vandersteen Quatro
What they say....The Vandersteen Quatro speakers provide enhanced performance by combining the 3a Signature and a pair of 2Wq's in a more esthetically pleasing enclosure, simplifying the setup procedure and presenting a less imposing presence in the room. The Vandersteen Quatro has many of the same attributes as the Model 5 without the cost of the veneered cabinet.
Enhanced performance is due to 11-band room compensation controls in each speaker allowing bass optimization in virtually any position in the room; newly designed 6.5-inch woven fiber cone mid-bass drivers for better resolution in the upper bass and lower midrange; constrained-layer enclosure structures derived from the legendary Vandersteen Model 5 speakers for reduced time smear; and the integration of powered subwoofer and main speaker. Combining the powered subwoofer and main speaker in a single enclosure allows improved linearity and better transition from deep bass frequencies to the rest of the spectrum. This results in audible improvements in the resolution of the leading edge of transient waveforms and provides a more lifelike presentation. What I say....Richard knows his stuff. These rarely come up for sale on Audiogon because they are a lifetime purchase. Very few speakers, at any price can compare. Very adaptable to challenging environments, dynamic, and versatile. Listen to a properly set up pair and it is hard to leave the store without them....
Linn Classik Movie
The Classik Movie from Linn is an amazing integrated home theatre system. With astounding audio and visual quality and a sleek, elegant new design, the Classik Movie is quite simply Linns finest home theatre system to date.
Looks like we are gonna buy the amp today and go with 5A later in year perhaps or down the road, the wood Quatros are very VERY good so the older amps are best served with an upgrade...the Mono amps are gonna come in around $13K if I recall and he doesnt need that much power as he doesnt listen really loud. Good to talk to you! Chad
I also hear that Aesthetix is planning on releasing a monoblock version of the Atlas. I believe it will be 300WPC with discrete power supplies and should be available sometime this summer. I think that a pair of those and some 5A's are in my future.
Hey Prince, My dad owns the Wood Quatro bought from John R at Audio Connection and we were blown away by the Atlas, what an amp! That zero feedback design is something special and I have a feeling its gonns replace my dads Classe Mono Blocks shortly. John and Nick are a great couple guys and looks like the did right by you with the system you posted, keep everyone informed and I hope more gets out on the Atlas..........its stupid good!
Chad, You are correct that there is very little information on this amp. When we were doing resaerch on the piece, all we could find were some fairly positive mumblings from some underground audiophiles. It is almost impossible to even find it on their website (though a write-up is present). Here is what I can tell you..... I had been working with the folks at Audio Connection in NJ to build a system and based on my criteria, we seemed to be hitting a wall. I received a call from John Rutan (the owner) and he said that he had just received the AMP and that I had to come in and listen. I auditioned the AMP for the first time in conjunction with the Calypso preamp and a pair of Vandersteen Quatro woods. Upon first hearing the AMP I knew it was something special. I know that Jim White (Aesthetix) received design input from Richard Vandersteen. The AMP has a buit in high pass filter that allows the low frequencies to be filter out from the midrange and tweeter producing greater transparancy. While I do not fully understand this phenomonum, it makes sense, and anyone who has ever heard a pair of properly set up Vandy's know what this is all about. The AMP has a sweetness to its sound. When I tried it in my main system (Audio Research REF3, CARY CD 303/300, and B&W 802's), the AMP sounded nice, but lacked the punch that my 700WPC Krell delivers. With the Vandy's however, the sound is pure magic. They were designed to go together, and the combination works beautifully. The Quatro's have built-in amplifiers for the sub-woofers, and the AMP is left to do what is does best in the mids and highs. It is a heavy unit, but has beautiful clean lines, and the highest build quality. The AMP has a warm stand-by feature so it is ready to play when you are. I plan to play with it some more. I would expect it might be a good match for other speakers containing powered sub's (Martin Logan's) and perhaps some efficient monitors. At 200WPC it is certainly not a weakling, just that like many of the speaker systems I own love power.
System looks great...can you give us some thoughts on the Atlas amp as there is very little information avaiable at this time. I would love to hear your thoughts.
System edited: After one day of listening.......and watching......my brother commented that he does not have one ounce of buyer's remorse. Pure Happiness! Thanks to John and Carlos at AC!
