The $4000 Rhea is the direct descendant of the formidable Aesthetix Io and Io Signature phono stages, which put the California company smack…
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Trickle-down technology is a grand thing. It's comparatively easy to build an exceptional audio component when there are no constraints on technology, cost, user-friendliness, or lack thereof, but top designers are now packing more and more of the excellence of damn-the-torpedoes components into more affordable and accessible packages. Which brings us to the Aesthetix Rhea, a tubed phono preamplifier of exceptionally distinguished lineage.
A new level of couch-potato ecstasy comes courtesy of the Rhea's microprocessor control and remote wand: All of the preamplifier's functions are accessible from the remote. Yes, this means you can change loading and gain on the fly, from the comfort of your chair, while enjoying the beverage of your choice. Not only can you customize the settings without getting up, but the Rhea remembers the individual loading and gain choices for each of the three inputs. Given that you can select seven different levels of gain, from 38dB to 75dB, and nine standard loading settings, there would seem to be…
The Rhea's bass performance was firmly cohesive by any standard. The spatial and tonal bloom of tubes was neatly combined with resolute pitch definition. Each bassist's individual sound and personality were preserved with distinctiveness and particularity, be it Paul Chambers or Jaco Pastorius. Things were just a fraction more loose down low than with the Io Sig or the Steelhead, but there was no shortage of power or pitch certainty.
The Rhea was a shade softer and darker than life in the top half-octave or so of the treble range, perhaps, but there was still more than enough resolution…
Sidebar 1: Specifications
Description: Tubed phono preamplifier. Tube complement: V1 & V2, 12AX7LP; V3 & V4, 12AX7WB; V5, 6922 (6DJ8). Functions: standby, input selection, cartridge demagnetizer, gain, loading, mute, display. Gain settings (dB): 75, 68, 62, 56, 50, 44, 38, Off. Loading settings (ohms): 47k, 10k, 5k, 2.5k, 1k, 500, 250, 125, 75. No other specifications given. Power consumption: 20W standby, 100W active.
Dimensions: 18" W by 4 3/8" H by 17 5/8" D. Weight: 39 lbs (17.5kg) shipping.
Serial number of unit reviewed: 1894.
Price: $4000. Approximate number of…
Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment
Analog sources: SOTA Cosmos Series III turntable, Graham 2.2 tonearm, Dynavector XV-1S cartridge; Clearaudio Champion 2 turntable with Unify tonearm, Benz L2 cartridge.
Preamplification: Manley Labs Steelhead, Aesthetix Io Signature phono preamplifiers; VTL TL-7.5, Balanced Audio Technology VK-51 SE, Aesthetix Calypso line stages.
Power amplifiers: Lamm M2.1, Manley 250 Neo-Classic monoblocks; Hovland Radia, Plinius SA-102.
Loudspeakers: Calix Phoenix Grand Signature, EgglestonWorks Andra II.
Cables: Phono: Hovland Music Groove 2 (SOTA),…
Sidebar 3: Measurements
Although its packaging appears as sturdy as I have experienced, the Aesthetix Rhea arrived with the metal mesh panels that ventilate the top cover detached and one of the 6922 tubes loose inside the chassis, suggesting that the box had been dropped. Nevertheless, once I'd reinserted the tube in its socket, the unit appeared to be working, with both channels basically identical in their measured behavior. And having to plug the tube back in gave me a chance to look inside the chassis, whistling through my teeth as I caught my first glimpse of the Rhea's…
Michael Fremer wrote about the Rhea in June 2005 (Vol.28 No.6):
The Aesthetix Rhea tubed phono stage ($4000, reviewed by Paul Bolin in the September 2003 Stereophile), which I have in-house in association with a forthcoming review of the companion Aesthetix Calypso preamp, offers three independent inputs, remote-controlled loading and gain on the fly, and automatic MC demagnetization. The Musical Fidelity kW phono preamp ($3500) can't begin to compete with the Rhea's versatility and ease of use, nor does its midrange offer the Rhea's lushness and soft finish. The Rhea can't begin to match…
Kinergetics Research was a name to be reckoned with in the early days of CD, when they produced some of the earliest well-received, audiophile-grade CD players. They've branched out since then, producing amplifiers, preamps, subwoofers, and surround-sound processors. In fact, they're so busy with such products that they no longer build CD players! The last Stereophile review of a Kinergetics CD player appeared way back in 1993.
Before that, in 1990, Dick Olsher reviewed one of Kinergetics' early power amplifiers, the KBA-75. The KBA-280 is a modern update of that design, still specified…
The KBA-280 is also THX-certified, which means that it must meet a certain set of standards—voltage gain, output power, distortion, input impedance, etc.—specified by the THX division of Lucasfilm.
Performance
There are as many definitions of what constitutes a neutral-sounding amplifier as there are audiophiles (or at least those of us who admit that amplifiers don't all sound alike). Ask a solid-state fan and you'll be regaled with descriptions of tight, powerful bass, an open top end that seems to go on forever, and an overall neutrality that renders the warm, fuzzy sound of tube…
Comparisons
While the Aragon 8008ST is less expensive than the Kinergetics, the two amplifiers are naturals to square off against each other, not least because the Aragon remains my long-term reference for a relatively affordable high-end amplifier. Directly compared, it sounded more laid-back through the midrange and lower treble than the Kinergetics. Its midbass was less rich than the KBA-280's, and it sounded less liquid overall. These qualities gave the Kinergetics a greater presence, and more rounded dimensionality on vocals.
While the Aragon 8008ST is less expensive than the Kinergetics, the two amplifiers are naturals to square off against each other, not least because the Aragon remains my long-term reference for a relatively affordable high-end amplifier. Directly compared, it sounded more laid-back through the midrange and lower treble than the Kinergetics. Its midbass was less rich than the KBA-280's, and it sounded less liquid overall. These qualities gave the Kinergetics a greater presence, and more rounded dimensionality on vocals.
On the other hand, the Aragon was more open on top,…