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Model: | Aesthetix IO Signature |
Category: | Phono Preamp |
Suggested Retail Price: | $9,000 |
Description: | All tube fully balanced phono stage |
Manufacturer URL: | Aesthetix |
Model Picture: | View |
Review by Audioquest4life (A) on July 23, 2006 at 10:01:06 IP Address: 217.86.99.254 | Add Your Review for the Aesthetix IO Signature |
This is a review of the Aesthetix IO Signature phono stage with stock tubes and one power supply. I have been on a search for a phono stage to finish my system for over two years. It took me that long for several reasons. One, I had an integrated phono section that was pretty darn good compared to the test subjects that I brought into play. Two, I did not find any phono stage that had a dramatic and worthwhile effect on my listening sessions to warrant a purchase. This is my third review posted to Audio Asylum, the B&W Nautilus 800 and the Krell SACD Standard being the others.The settings of the phono stage I finally settled on and sounded best to me was 62db gain and 1000ohm to accommodate the Benz LP with .34mv output. I am using the IO Signature with the RCA connections.
Prior to my final selection of phono stage I had been fine tuning and experimenting with room acoustics and damping material for years. Finally I have set up the room conditions in order to hear the smallest differences in cables, speaker, racks, polarity and component switching. The Copulare racks were the final step in my particular room. I had thought for a while that I needed to change the interconnect cables, I had experimented with pure OCC copper and pure silver and although the copper sounded more natural, the silver added a slight upper frequency accentuation that was both good and bad, the good was that the cymbals had more crash and zing, the bad was the cymbals lost the natural sound that I associate with those instruments, and the trumpet suffered the same fate. When I placed the Copulare racks in the system, the entire music playing field become much more focused and detailed. This was such a big improvement that I immediately decided that the existing pure OCC copper were in fact excellent cables and the racks brought the music forward another level that was equivalent to a preamp, amp or tube swap. The difference was that great. Go figure that I was going to dump money in a bid to get cables, when all along the system was out of focus. I use a modified form of the Cardas speaker placement method. Details of the room tuning and equipment break down are as follows:
Room specs:
14.5’ x 17’
slab basement, concrete walls
2’ carpet
Acoustic treatment:
Echobusters Bass Busters in each corner
Echobusters Corner Busters in the ceiling corners
Echobusters treatments at 1st reflection zone and rear left and right of speakers
RPG Skylines ceiling treatment
ASC tube trap on back wall centered behind speakers
Velodyne SMS-1 subwoofer equalizer (yes, I used this as a room treatment because of room modes, the SMS-1 is great tool to mitigate standing room modes using all of its features)
DIY room measurements using Stereophile Test CD2, Rives Audio Test CD and Radio Shack Sound Pressure level meter
Professional room measurement by dealer (Waste of money….you can hear with experimentation what works and using the test CD’s know the peaks and dips in the room, it just takes a lot of time and work to DIY, the dealer measurements are more finite, but the major changes that affect the room can be measured using the tools I mentioned above)
Racks:
Copulare Sial amp stands with custom cherry red wood inlay work (www.copulare.de)
Copulare Sial equipment stand with custom cherry red wood inlay work
Clearaudio MontBlanc turntable stand (www.clearaudio.de)
Cables:
Neotech OCC pure copper for amps and preamp
Audioquest Jaguar IC from phono amp to line stage
Note about cables: I experimented with silver hybrids, pure silver with standard RCA’s and the new WBT’s, and copper. For me the OCC copper represents the most neutral and transparent sound for my system.
Equipment used for evaluation:
Speakers – B&W Nautilus 800, 1.30 meters from side wall, 2.30 meters from rear wall
Subwoofer – B&W Nautilus 850, slightly behind and right of right speaker
Amps – Octave MRE 130 (4 KT-88’s each, with Super Black Box (outboard large capacitor power supplies) a reference system in the March 2006 edition of Audio magazine (www.audio.de), a shootout with the Mark Levinson gear left the reviewers scratching their heads. also an Image Hi-Fi winner in the Japanese magazine. www.octave.de
Preamp – Octave HP500SE limited (number 50 from 100 built), a reference system in the March 2006 edition of Audio magazine (www.audio.de) , a shootout with the Mark Levinson gear left the reviewers scratching their heads. Also an Image Hi-Fi winner in the Japanese magazine. www.octave.de
Equalizer – Velodyne SMS-1 subwoofer controller
Turntable – Transrotor Apollon with 3 motors and quartz DC controlled variable speed controller, (Tonearm – SME-V), (Cartridge – Benz LP .34 output)
Phono Preamp – Aesthetix IO Signature with one power supply
The review of this phono stage is quite simple. This phono stage lifts voices and recreates the recorded venue like no other phono stage I have heard in my system. The list includes the Bat VK-P10SE with SuperPak, ASR Basic Exclusive, Ear 834P, Pass Labs Xono and Clearaudio Reference Phono and the integrated in my own Octave HP500SE tube preamp, with a 12AX7 based phono stage.
Music played via the IO is quite simply extraordinary. I am still amazed at how holographic, live sounding and just plain real music sounds when I am listening via the IO Signature. I state real sounding for some obvious reasons, the tender parting of lips and light wisps of breaths that Diana Krall portrays sings as she plays Girl in the Other Room is just part of the amazing sound quality the IO brings to any listening session, the other part is that the entire acoustic atmosphere is recreated right in your listening room. I have never felt so close to the music source and location listening to vinyl as I do via the IO Signature. It does create the entire atmosphere of the location, whatever location that may be.
I played three tracks consecutively from Poco, Legend (MFSL) and starting from track one, In the Heart of the Night, the song is just incredible, I never realized that it was about New Orleans, let me tell you that when I say it was emotional, it was emotional, and I have heard that song many times before when I was younger. I never paid that much thought to the song either, it was a cool song, however, well because of New Orleans and the disaster that happened there, I was caught up in this song. The accompanying singers could easily be heard playing left and right of the lead singer, the sax stands out with the right amount of heft and sounds proper. Again, the voices seem to just jump out and appear in a landscape before, beside or way behind when played. The best way to describe how the voices sound coming off of the vinyl is to imagine you are attending the last live close up musical session with live singers, instruments and microphones and you are sitting up close, like front row seat, with the singers almost a few feet away and you hear both the live and amplified voices of the musical event, that is how it sounds with the Aesthetix IO Signature. You can hear the live event like it is transpiring right in front of you with the added benefit of recreating the atmosphere of the location. The next song, Cool Changes, an easy listening classic sounded just as thrilling and exciting to listen to. I heard every singer in place and the notes of the instruments had excellent decay. The last song from Poco I listened to was The Last Goodbye. This song starts out slow and mildly turns up the heat to a dramatic drum roll, but one that goes either left or right and one that is so deep you can feel the resounding thwack of the drum as it is being hit, this is what it is like in a drum session. It really conveys the music more and adds so much realism to hear drums like that when listening and suddenly there is a deep dramatic drum roll. You will raise your head in pleasant surprise, not because the bass is improper or lacking but because it resounds so real and lifelike. I am asking myself how much better does it cost to get to the real thing, in all of my years of music listening, my current combination of the components add up with the Aesthetix IO Signature to bring back the life, the dynamic impact, and intimate details of music that I have for so long yearned for. There is no reason for me to go further in my pursuit of the happiness in music playback. The Aesthetix IO is the Holy Grail of which other phono preamplifiers will be judged by in the future. I truly believe that once someone hears the IO Signature properly setup, you will be making several decisions, one is spending the dough, and the other is creating the space needed to place it. The IO Signature has an all 16 tube separate power supply.
Another jaw dropping music experience happened while listening to Sade, an original Epic album, Promise, the song Sweetest Taboo just mesmerizes you as you listen to her voice, and in the song you will here a portion that sounds like it is over mic’ed and her voice rolls out with an uncanny and startling accuracy, as if she was standing there in the room performing live. Listening to Sade, Jesible was an enchanting experience. The saxophone and piano are so balanced together and there is a very quick start and stop crescendo with sax, piano and cymbals all crashing at the same time. This interlude combines the essence of what the IO Signature can do, it recreates the listening event. All of the instruments are balanced, with no emphasis in either direction, just a natural sound that captures the musical event and causes the listener to be transfixed to the listening session, no one will ever walk away from an IO Signature configured properly without feeling some form of regret, it is that good.
Speaking of balanced, I find the IO Signature truly capable of capturing all of the fine details that are recorded on vinyl, the slight strike of a drum or the slight rattle of a cymbal, it all comes across fully exposed and without any discernable loss of definition to what we know a real instrument sounds like in a live event. I keep reiterating the comparison to a live event; well because there is no other way to describe it. You can here the brush start its slide or the pluck of guitars and the blow of saxophones with an uncanny sense of realism. Music is suspended, yes suspended in place with the instrument characteristics defined in that space, absolutely amazing. The instruments are placed in perspective with ethereal lifelike clarity, there will be no confusion about what instrument is doing what and how hard or soft it is being played, you can actually discern all of these fine details with the IO Signature. There is a definite aura in listening to music and this device will captivate you.
There I was playing the Weavers at Carnegie Hall and the performers were walking back and forth, front and back and I was clapping my hands and stomping my feet with them as they rattled their typical folk type music, I was actually getting down with some folk music, I could not believe it! The content of the music on the Weavers album at Carnegie hall will highlight the capabilities of your system to portray the stage and depth and once again the IO Signature proved its worth and capabilities. Have I given the IO Signature enough accolades, hardly, this phono preamp is transforming every listening session into a musical experience and as I run the musical signal through it’s tubes it allows me to hear as close as I can get to what the recording event sounded like that day.
With Patricia Barber, MFSL Nightclub album, Bye Bye Bluebird, is one of those songs that captures Barber’s voice in a sultry delicate manner. After the lead in and some other voice and instrument performance, there it is, the Steinway, it starts to dance lightly yet with a powerful overtone that you will hear and you will not forget or mistake the sound for anything else but a Steinway, it is defined by it’s commanding presence and well, the Steinway sound, you can tell that this not an ordinary piano. During the rest of the Steinway interlude, it gets more pronounced and as if I was listening to a recital in my room, it was so amazing to have a couple of friends say that it was if they were in the same room as a piano and hearing the taps of the keys as she is hammering away. The sound of the Steinway envelopes the room and commands a presence, like yeah, I am the (shiznit) best thing since sliced bread and provides a powerful reminder of why the Steinway is one of the best pianos in the world today.
On Muddy Waters, MFSL Folk Singer, Good Morning School Girl, Waters demands a presence with his voice as he gets close in to the microphone and belts out his music, it is somewhat comparable to listening to a PA system but with a glorious music backdrop and a musical singer, the IO Signature captures his close microphone singing technique with aplomb. The details in the singer’s voice and the recording venue are truly captured and portrayed allowing you to hear into the music and interpret the atmosphere allowing one to perceive the recording space.
Al Dimeola, John McLaughlin, Paco Delucia, Friday Night at San Francisco, this is probably one of the best live duel guitar events ever recorded. You can feel the excitement and perceive the presence of the players on stage as they play against each other. The guitars fill the air with charged electrical energy and present a live dynamic that is found at a concert. You can hear the picking and slides of the guitar as they battle with each other. It comes across so clear that you are transported to the concert by the Aesthetic IO.
Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain, Will of the Wisp, This song makes me feel as if I am in the middle of some sort of slow battle hymn, kind of melancholic in a way. The delicate manner in which Miles Davis blows his horn exudes the passion that he had with this style of music, you are just captured, mesmerized and in awe with the story that is being told. The IO Signature allows me to feel the passion and the emotion that he wants you to feel. Simply amazing.
It should be noted that the Aesthetix Io Signature is sensitive to power cord placement, in regards to crossing paths with other cables, when I separated the main power cable from the other AC cables the noise floor dropped considerably, to the point that I could turn the volume past the half way point without any audible distortion despite a combined 24 tubes in the IO section and a combined total 20 more tubes between the mono amps and preamplifier. Move the cables over each other and it sounds like I am listening to a reel to reel tape with no music and tape hiss in the background.
The Aesthetix IO Signature is also finicky with phase. I measured the phase for each of my components and the IO Signature AC cord to the wall measured with the cable plugged upside down. One night I forget to plug the AC in the right way (phased tested) and plugged it in and I heard a chuffing sound in the background. I immediately knew that something was not plugged in right and started with the AC and reversed the cable connection and voila, sweet silence again.
The Io needs a good hour of warm up to fully exploit all it can offer you, not to say that it will not sound good when you first turn it on, but to fully extract the full 3d imaging and awe inspiring dimensionality I described above, it needs to stay on for at least an hour. I leave mine all weekend with no problems. Speaking of leaving on, I hear some people say that it has a heat issue, well yes if you stack them on top of each other or to close to other components. The components of the IO, the main power supply and the control unit take up every inch of my Copulare rack on their own shelves. They are separated by about 8 inches with a 2 inch thick piece of wood between them both. Heat was not an issue, and even at the end of the weekend when I powered down the system, they were warm but not hot, my mono amps were hot. Come on people, we are talking about a 24 tube unit here, how anyone can not expect to have some sort of heat beats me. My main point here is that one must give the IO components space to breathe and proper separation between power supply and control unit. An estimated 3 foot interconnect is provided to facilitate the connection between power supply and control unit so close connections that may cause interference can be eliminated.
As far as tube rolling and other tweaks, the only thing I did was use Walker Audio Extreme SST on the phono cables between the IO and the main preamp on the advice from a fellow Audio Asylum member. I burned in the IO using Granite Audio burn in cd at night when going to bed and playing the unit normally after work. I am keeping the factory stock tubes (Sovtek and EH) in place as they provide the sonic level of performance that I am describing and do not want to change any of that.
The IO has projected my listening experience pretty much into the stratosphere. I can’t think of many other pleasurable things outside of spending time with my family that I would rather be doing besides listening to music. Listening to music via the IO Signature is addicting. I crave having listening sessions. Is there any tell tale sign that the IO has a signature sound? For me the craving and addiction to the IO that I have translates to that signature sound, the lust for the portrayal of music that it delivers. I know it can playback a Steinway piano like it is supposed to sound, at least as much as current technology allows, playback of the music hall or recording venue to include the presence of audience members in its entirety and place individual instruments in their own space and with the appropriate amount of dynamic aura. Low level details are so defined and add overall to the level of live presence I keep talking about and provide a compelling reason why equipment like this exists. Bass notes are deep and proper with the snares rattling across the entire sound stage when required, highs are excellent and dynamic and not lacking any detail, shimmer is also excellent, providing a natural tone and vibrancy when the cymbals are lightly rattled at the end of a song or solo.
The big B&W 800 Nautilus speakers disappeared so much more into the background when the IO Signature is in operation, much more than I thought possible as they were already optimized, a seamless sound field that is both extra wide and deep, this has been the case with the IO Signature more so than with other phono amps, the image never really became as transparent as it does with the IO, the B&W N800’s always played the capabilities of what ever was being played further down the line in the system. This is perhaps an issue with the IO Signature, make sure the rest of your components can truly exploit its capabilities or it will be left sitting idle and you will not hear what I am describing.
Lastly I would like to add system synergy has allowed me to achieve these results. Everyone has their own system demands and individual room requirements and of course our own hearing is quite different. A listening test at home is the only way to really justify if the IO Signature will suit your needs. I listened to the IO Signature at depth in several show rooms and the equipment was not optimized to allow me to hear low level details on one of my reference albums by Karen Allison. At home it was night and day. The low level details were present in ample amounts to allow me to grin from side to side. Once your system is optimized in regards to proper speaker placement, equipment isolation, acoustic room treatments and correct phasing of all AC cables you will hear the results I have described. But, you will probably notice most of the fundamental properties I described with the IO Signature in whatever system you decide to place the IO in as it makes that much of a difference. I can’t speak about RFI/EMI interference because I do not have any of that, but I am sure it would be problematic to hear such interference when trying to listen to music.
Comparisons to other equipment, well if you desire the properties that other phono preamps deliver such as extra deep bass or emphasized midrange or overly extended highs, then your taking into account perhaps a shortcoming somewhere in your system, the IO Signature is neutral in it’s presentation and thus there are no over or under emphasized artifacts of music detail that I can really comment on. The amount of low level detail capture and the way the IO Signature blooms and explodes may surprise many who have not heard how music should sound like and will most likely be a profound moment in music listening, I know, I keep having them when I play music through the IO Signature.
Product Weakness: | big, excessive heat in small places, addicting |
Product Strengths: | one of the best phono amps in the industry |
Associated Equipment for this Review: | |
Amplifier: | Octave MRE 130 |
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): | Octave HP500SE |
Sources (CDP/Turntable): | Transrotor Apollon |
Speakers: | B&W Nautilus 800 |
Cables/Interconnects: | Audioquest |
Music Used (Genre/Selections): | Various |
Room Size (LxWxH): | 22 x 15 x 8 |
Room Comments/Treatments: | works effectively |
Time Period/Length of Audition: | 5 months |
Other (Power Conditioner etc.): | none |
Type of Audition/Review: | Product Owner |
Your System (if other than home audition): | N/A |
Follow Ups:
Also glad to hear from someone with very different listening tastes, and that the Io works for other genres. I mainly listen to classical and some jazz, all acoustic instruments and recordings (ie non-studio).I did find with the Benz LP that 700 ohms worked best in my system. Anything lower and the soundstage collapsed, anything higher and the sound got too bright/tizzy.
One of the other praises of the Io is the support from Aesthetix. Jim White and his team are exemplary. He has upgraded my Io (it is almost 8 yrs old) and power supplies. He has also done upgrades and replaced components when he felt he had something better. Amazing, simply amazing.
I recently had my first actual Io component failure. A voltage regulator in one of the power supplies failed. This was due to using KT-66s in the power supply instead of the spec'ed EL-34. Even though I made the tube substitution, Aesthetix is fixing the power supply. The unit will also be brought up to date with current mods.
The new power supplies can handle the current draw of the KT-66. This is one mod I highly recommend. No need to cut a hole in the top of the power supply to accomodate the taller tube. Get some stand-offs from a hardware store to move the lid up about na inch. The bass and dynamics are stunning with the KT-66. NOS KT-66s are not necessary, some of the new stock Chinese tubes work really well and are very affordable.
My system has the Io Sig with dual supplies and the volume controls. It connects directly to the amps, no preamp is needed. The Sig also allows for one line level input and serves as a superb preamp. The purity of the direct connection adds to the palpability and heft of the sound.
The balanced outputs are more dynamic and quiter than the single ended. From talking to Jim White, using balanced input from the cartridge is not as important.
Tube rolling is highly recommended for the Io. Here are some suggestions:
- KT66 for the EL34 in the power supply
- Telefunken 6922/ECC88/E88CC
- RCA red base 5692 for the 6SN7
- V1 should have a very low microphony tube, a Telefunken ECC83 is ideal
- V2, V3 also need higher quality tubes, RCA black plates sound stunningMix and match a bit on the 12AX7s. Mullards will add some mid-range warmth, Bugle Boys some high freq purity and the RCAs add to the holographic soundstage. Tungsram 12AX7s work well too, ditto for Mazdas.
Experiment with the Walker Audio Extreme SST. I use it on all, repeat all electrical connections I can access. On the fuses, on the pins of the tubes, on the IEC connector, on the interconnects. As you know, use it sparingly.
If you can find or already have a copy of David Hykes and the Harmonic Choir Solar Winds LP, you can actually hear the voices above and behind you in the room. Stunning, just stunning.
Enjoy your Io.
Oldvinyl, what brand Chinese KT66 are you using?I agree with your recommended use of the Walker Audio Extreme SST. Like you, I use it on every contact I can reach, including the tube pins.
One other worthwhile place to experiment is on the power cords: nice improvement here with the Omega Mikro Planars or the Silent Source.
And Jim White and his team are superb, I will echo your accolades for the service and post-purchase support.
RushtonIndeed the SST on the power cords and IEC connector help.
I have tried the Valve Art KT66, the Groove Tube KT66 and the original NOS GEC KT66. I would be hard pressed to distinguish them sonically in this application. The GECs do last forever.
Welcome to the club. I agree with you. Jim White is a genious. I think the Aesthetix is the best component I have heard. Wait until you buy the second power supply, yes it puts it in another class as far as image placement in the hall is concerned. I too am using the stock tubes. I tried other tubes, but prefer the stock ones. The phono stage sounds better too if you can have balanced connectors placed on your wire coming off the tonearm. The unit also improves with better power cords. Also if you ever want to change your cartridge, the ZYX sounds fantastic with it.
I enjoyed your review, you have described what my wife and I enjoy so much about this phono stage. In our case: Io Signature version, with volume controls and two power supplies. Also with stock tubes. A marvelous phono stage! Congratulations!
Rushton,Thanks. I know that you too are experiencing such joy and satisfaction as I am, and with the options you have even more so. The IO Signature provides most of the essence of what the recording event was like that day.
Hi,Very nice review of the Io Signature.
I have the Io (non-Signature) with 1 power supply. No volume controls. Stock tubes. Benz Ruby 2H.
1.) You mentioned that you listened to the BAT PK-10SE with Super Pak. What was better about the Io Sig? What was better about the BAT?
2.) Did you try loading your Benz LP at 47K? What did you hear at 47K compared to 1K?
Rich,My experience with cartridge loading has led me back to 1000ohm, initially I kept it at 275 or so, but that was during break in of the Benz LP, afterwards I experimented with all of the ohm settings of the IO, settling for 1000 as the lower values numerically did not let the Benz LP to breathe and at a higher value numerically I felt as if the Benz LP was losing the natural clarity in the top end the bottom end started to get to dry.
The BAT VK-P10SE was my first choice and a friend of mine let me borrow it to use in my system, I felt that the bass sounded good but there was a lack of coherency that I felt was in place for the deep bass, sort of like an out of phase lower bass note, the mids and highs were great and I would say that they are probably comparable to the IO Signature, but the IO portrays a more natural decay and space around each instrument. Where the IO Signature walks away is in dimensionality, spatial information, width and depth, not to say that the BAT VK-P10SE is not a good phono amp, it is an excellent one, the IO Signature does what I mentioned much better.
That is where people will have to decide and walk that fine line between these phono amps, the IO Signature provides a coherent recreation of that recording in the location and acoustic space as it was on that day. If there were no such thing as the Aesthetix IO Signature, the BAT VK-P10SE would be sitting on my equipment rack. I was fortunate to have experienced both before I made my decision, when I first heard the IO Signature at a dealer, it did not sound at all the way I am describing it, in fact my integrated phono amp sounded better, blame it on room acoustics, system synergy and anything else, when I finally got one home and demoed and compared, that is when I made the final decision. Hope this helps you.
V/r
AQ4life
AQ4life,Thank you. That was very helpful.
I think we are hearing the same things with the Io and Benz cartridges as far as loading goes. As I go from 1K to 47K I can hear a huge difference in the top end. I do hear lots of grain and the sound is splashy. Overall, I prefer the 1K setting. But the sound can use a little more top end energy.
Have you listened to the Ruby in your system? I wonder if the LP is a big upgrade over the Ruby allowing me to realize the top end I am looking for.
I am also going to experiment with VTA. The Ruby is sitting slightly down in the back. I am going to lift up the back of the arm slightly. How do you run your LP?
Thank you for the information on the BAT.
I think the phono stage sounds best at 47K. I tried this with Benz, ZYX, Koetsu, Myabi, and Vandenhull.
Jwm,At 47K, I am hearing a lot of grain and glare with a Ruby 2H. Any advice on what may be the problem and how to fix it? I have a Basis Vector MK3 tonearm with RCA terminated phono cables. I am using the XLR outputs on the Io. Loading at 1K gets rid of the problem but the sound loses 'sparkle'.
Are you using the RCA or XLR outputs with your Io?
I am picking up RF. I can hear a radio station when music is not playing.
I am not sure about how your tone arm VTA adjustments is achieved, but with most tone arms, it is held by a screw grabbing on the stump of the tone arm.The trick I have found to be true in most tone arms is that many people tend to over tighten this screw.
This is what I would recommend:
Remove the arm off the collar, check for burrs on the stump. Use a piece of emery cloth to remove all burrs. Place it back into the collar, but this time very gently tighten this screw, but not too tight.
If you doubt this, don't. It is one of the tricks that I constantly perform that surprise many TT owners.
Try it. It is not going to cost you - except your 20 minutes.
Cheers
WilliamPS By the way, the Ruby should not be grainy or glary. If you happen to upgrade, make sure you get the 0.8mV output version. The lower output one is no good.
Thanks William.That is exactly how the Vector VTA adjustment works. There is a set screw in the arm board holding the bearing portion. You loosen the set screw and now you can move the bearing portion relative to the arm board achieving a change in VTA. I do remember tightening the screw a bit. I will try to back off on it and see if that helps.
I agree that the Ruby should not be grainy. That has not been my experience with it till lately. The only thing I have done is to retube the Io with tubes supplied by Jim White. Jim used to use Sovteks in the phono and power supply. This time he sent me Sovtek, Teslovak, and EH. The EH are EL34's in the power supply. The Teslovak 12AX7's are in the the phono portion along with the Sovteks. I wonder if the Teslovak and EH are causing the grain and glare that I am hearing??
I am also picking up RF. (I did move my system to another corner in my room. It is now in front of a window.) I bet the RF is casuing some of the problem. I tried moving the cables from the arm to the Io but that did not help.
Cheers
use brass screws if you can.
all done correctly before condemning the cartridge, tonearm, or both!
These are almost exactly the procedures I go through when I mount an arm and/or cartridge.I have also discovered that the proper sized brass screws are getting very hard to find.
cheers,
Close to the Edge, down by the river....
-Ray
I know that the IO is sensitive to a lot of different external noise such as RF/EMI and other interference. I do know that cables crossing over each other and in the IO's AC power cord path will likely cause the IO to pick up the pollution of these other AC cables. Once I moved all cables away from the IO' power cable, the noise floor had dropped even further, and before it was good.Also the phase that I mentioned really effects it as well. I would also make sure that I place the IO as far as way from the preamp and amplifiers. My IO and power supply are at the bottom of the equipment rack, with the power supply at the very bottom and the control unit on the next shelf. The wooden shelves seperating the two components are about 3" inches thick and provide ample seperation between the units.
Ciao,
AQ4life
Thanks AQ4life.Enjoy your Io!!
I am using the older Vector arm that is wired with Discovery Wire. I had A J put balanced conectors on the ends of the tonearm wire. The Aesthetix sounds much better when you use balanced in and out on the phono stage. I do not get any hum or RF noise at all on the line. I know if you use a passive linestage hum may be a factor. I would also address the wire going out of the phono stage to the preamp. I just never liked loading down the cartridge. To me you lose that high end sparkle. I use to own a Benz, but switched to the ZYX cartridge. As far as being bright in your system, it could be the rest of your equiptment. If an amp is a little bit foward in the mids then loading may help. My amp and preamp I am using does not need loading.
Jwm,Did you have trouble with RF when you used the RCA connections between the Vector and Io?
Regards
Rich Maurin
I don't think so, but it has been a long time. If you know how to solder I would buy vampire XLR and put them on your leads instead of the rca's.
Nice review. Sounds like you've taken alot of time to get things right for you. Funny you mention Setches of Spain. Played that for my wife this morning through the Io Sig with volume controls & two supplies.
AJ,Thanks for the reply. I introduced my wife to the IO Signature by lurring her to the basement with a promise of a massage and some easy listening music. Well, after she is in the prime seat for a while she comments about how lifelike and easy it is to listen to music in my listening room and no wonder I like to spend time down in the hole, of course the massage may be adding to that comment as well. I am glad that she can appreciate all of the efforts and work that I put into the system and room tuning and can actually comment on good it sounds to her.
The Sketches of Spain album by Miles Davis is truly an amazing piece of work. I am glad that Miles was influenced by this type of music, it was a calling to him.
Cheers
It was a mesmerizing experience and one that she will not forget:)...hehe, until we had to flip the record and the massage started again.
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