Stereophile – August 2019

stereophile.com n August2019 83

steropshil.soc.i

In all cases, the spirit and care with which we approach new

territory helps inform our conclusions.

So it was with eager anticipation that I approached the

Mimas integrated amplifier, the latest product from Aes-

thetix Audio, a seven-person company based in southern

California and founded in 1994 by designer Jim White.

White claims that the hybrid Mimas’s solid-state power

I

love listening to new audio products and discover-

ing how they make me feel. I do my best to open

my mind, ears, and pores, to trust the process and see

where it leads me. Ultimately, for all the words and

analogies I or any reviewer may conjure up, what we do isn’t

very different from a dog sniffing out a new patch of grass or

an insect sending out its antennae to determine what’s what.

Description Tubed and

solid-state integrated

amplifier. Power section:

Balanced bridge, zero-feed-

back, fully discrete, FET

input, bipolar output. Power

output: 150Wpc into 8

ohms (21.76dBW), 280Wpc

into 4 ohms (21.4dBW).

Frequency response at full

power: 4Hz–150kHz, –3dB.

THD at full power: <1%,

both channels driven.

Preamp section: Fully

differential, zero feedback,

tubed. Tube complement:

two 6922. Inputs: 5 line,

single-ended (RCA),

balanced (XLR). Preamp

output: single-ended (RCA),

balanced (XLR), headphone

(^1 ⁄ 4 "). Volume control:

differential switched

resistor network with 88

steps of 1dB. Input imped-

ance: 20k ohms (single-

ended), 40k ohms

(balanced). Home-theater

bypass. Control: RS232

(DB9), IR extender, 5V

trigger.

Dimensions 177 ⁄ 8 "

(434mm) W by 5^1 ⁄ 2 "

(140mm) H by 17^11 ⁄ 16 "

(449mm) D. Weight: 44lb

(20kg) net, 51lb (23kg)

shipping.

Finishes Black, silver.

Serial number of unit

reviewed 7578.

Price $7000. Options:

aluminum backlit re-

mote control, $400; DAC

module, $1250; phono

stage, $1250; fully discrete,

class-AB, 1W headphone

amplifier ($500). Approxi-

mate number of dealers:

25. Warranty: 3 years,
    nontransferable.
    Manufacturer Aesthetix
    Audio Corporation, 5220
    Gabbert Road, Suite A,
    Moorpark, CA 93021.
    Tel: (805) 529-9901.
    Web: http://www.aesthetix.net.

SPECIFICATIONS

JASON VICTOR SERINUS

Aesthetix Audio Mimas

INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER