Vinyl Asylum: great review by oldvinyl

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 stunning

Mix 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.

Enjoy the music.