The Aristaeus has landed

[gpalmer]

Well after a long wait the Aristaeus has landed. So far, so good though it's still first impressions at this point. Speed is phenomenal! So far the only setup I've heard get the drums attack this right is the HE-60 on cymbals. The HE-90 / Aristaeus combo is getting them right across the board from cymbals to bass. No signs of issues with the bass, it's tight all the way down. So far it's not as euphonic as the Orpheus, it's much more precise. Both the HE-90's and the Aristaeus are new though so it should be interesting to see where they go. It seems to be loosening up as it breaks in so...

The other thing that seems to be really working nicely is the instrumental seperation. Even during busy passages, it's keeping everything nicely defined.

 

[F1GTR]

Congrats man!

Looking forward to more impressions once everything has settled down.

 

[Thelonious Monk]

congrats, it's weird that about 3 people have gotten an Aristaeus in the last month, doesn't happen often with such an exclusive product.

 

[kevin gilmore]

Make that 4

Mine is a bit special as its the only heathkit version justin has released.

 

[krmathis]

Congratulations!

The Aristaeus sure is a beautiful looking amplifier, and I am certain it sounds great as well.

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin gilmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif Make that 4 Mine is a bit special as its the only heathkit version justin has released.

Hmmm, what tweaking went on in the assembly?

The Aristaeus is doing a very, very nice job on the Stereophile Beethoven Sonatas. The original recordings are excellent but the piano's tonality is somewhat less than stellar. This is the piano and recordings themselves, I've listened to it on dozens of systems with the same results except for Maggie's. The Maggie's made it sound much better than it should be with an overly lush midrange.

This amp is just doing an excellent job of reproducing the music, warts and all. The characteristics of the piano like the sustain and vibration of the strings are excellent. All those nuances that should be there seem to be getting picked up. So far, this amp is clearly technically superior to the original Orpheus but doesn't have the same degree of euphony I've heard out of the Orpheus. Of course, I'm also just feeding it from my Benchmark DAC1, I haven't dug out my Meridian 588. I think those three are going to make a very good combination.

As I mentioned, it's going to be interesting to see where this goes as the equipment breaks in. (And I get off my lazy butt and dig out my Meridian 588).

 

[ayt999]

nice.

so what tubes are you using?

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ayt999 /img/forum/go_quote.gif nice. so what tubes are you using?

I've got a set of Siemans in it right now. They are good but the bass seems to be going MIA as they heat up. They were great for the first CD which was bass heavy but after a couple hours of run time it's getting very low in the mix even on tracks where it should be prominent. D'Oh! The joy of tube amps...

What are you using and how's it working out Alex?

 

[kevin gilmore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpalmer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmmm, what tweaking went on in the assembly?

Lets just say that 4 of the parts are in the class of pure unobtainum.
Several of the other parts are on the order of 4 or 5 times the price of
the equivalent components, and the output tubes, well i have a sufficient
stock of those.

 

[milkpowder]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kevin gilmore /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lets just say that 4 of the parts are in the class of pure unobtainum. Several of the other parts are on the order of 4 or 5 times the price of the equivalent components, and the output tubes, well i have a sufficient stock of those.

Pictures please? Stop teasing us

 

[Skylab]

 

[ayt999]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpalmer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've got a set of Siemans in it right now. They are good but the bass seems to be going MIA as they heat up. They were great for the first CD which was bass heavy but after a couple hours of run time it's getting very low in the mix even on tracks where it should be prominent. D'Oh! The joy of tube amps... What are you using and how's it working out Alex?

currently have a quad of blackburn mullard ECL86's in there and a couple of 15mm blackburn ECC83's. I have a decent assortment of ECL86's but haven't had the time to switch them out, but then the sound is pretty nice as it is so not in a rush either. the ECC83 assortment is lacking on the other hand with only a few sets of vintage us-made 12AX7's other than the mullards. was thinking of getting some telefunken ECC83's to try out, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

[Jon L]

I've already seen a few Aristaeus owners selling theirs. Is there some meet or thread I missed ??

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon L /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've already seen a few Aristaeus owners selling theirs. Is there some meet or thread I missed ??

I did a search of the for sale forum and other than Akwok, who else sold one?

 

[Thelonious Monk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkpowder /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pictures please? Stop teasing us

yeah... i'm imagining a pure diamond chassis with shrunken buddhist monks watching over the signal path. don't be a tease, i want a giant 5 mb picture...