stereophile.com n August2019 93
AESTHETIX AUDIO MIMASMimas was like enjoying a vanilla-bean affogato on a sum-
mer afternoon—sweet, refreshing, and ready for another.”All of which leads me to say...
When I used the Aesthetix Audio Mimas as a full-functioning
integrated amplifier, the strengths of its tubed preamp stage
and FET power stage seemed to balance each other out,
delivering gratifyingly neutral and flowing full-range sound
whose beauty extended through its excellent bass, convinc-
ing pace and drive, and delightful touch of radiance. When
I used the Mimas solely as a preamp, its sound was brighter
and warmer, with increases in transparency, color saturation,
three-dimensionality, and the glow often associated with
tubed products. In both cases, musical flow, hard-hitting bass,
and tonal beauty together drew the Mimas’s bottom line.
Reviewing a piece of audio equipment in the context
of a much more expensive system runs the risk of em-
phasizing its shortcomings; well-chosen, more expensive
components that are synergistically matched certain-
lyshould sound better. Nonetheless, I was delighted by
how fine the Mimas sounded in my reference system, and
how well it fared in another system with more comparably
priced equipment. While I may have wished for more clar-
ity and silence between notes—whether it was Miles Davis
or Debussy or Whistler’s Mother who said, “Music exists
in the space between the notes,” it’s a truth that has always
spoken to me—the Mimas came across as an anything-but-
lightweight baby that sang out strongly and packed a mean
punch while glowing like a champion. There is something
quite special about its sound that deserves a strong recom-
mendation, and that will surely win the hearts of many
discriminating audiophiles. nwith the sound of my reference system. With all four tracks,
my impressions were consistent.
The first thing that stood out was the excellence of the
Mimas’s bass. I’d made a few changes in cables, equipment
supports, and power conditioning since reviewing Verity Au-
dio’s Monsalvat Amp-60 stereo power amplifier ($58,000)
for the May 2019 issue, but I’m 95% certain the Aesthetix
Mimas did a better job of handling the Wilson Alexia 2s’
impedance dip in the bass. Yes, the D’Agostino Progression
monoblocks ($38,000/pair) produce even more bass, but
for an integrated amplifier that costs less than a fifth the
Progressions’ price, the Mimas fared very well. The pound-
ing bass drums in Mahler’s Third shook my space and made
a substantial mark in the Berg. There was nothing sluggish
about the sound of this integrated amplifier.
When I switched from the Aesthetix as a full-functioning
integrated to only using its tubed preamp section, highs
grew a bit too bright, colors gained in vividness, transpar-
ency, detail, and three-dimensionality improved markedly.
The lovely warmth and glow often associated with tubes
intensified. So did the emotional impact of the music.
The track that proved most revealing was “John Taylor’s
Month Away.” When Peter and I first heard it through the
Mimas, I hadn’t realized that one of its layered sound effects
is created by women singing in harmony. Nor was Peter
clear about the source of sounds that we later suspected
were made with a harmonium. We were both still taken
with the music, but some of the clarity we’d come to expect
from my system was absent. As soon as I switched to the
Mimas’s preamp section, with the Progressions doing the
amplifying, solo voice sounded lovely, and the guitar ideally
mellow. More color and three-dimensionality emerged,
especially in this track’s final minutes. Most important, feel-
ings of sadness and empathy captured in the singer’s voice
received a major boost.
The brightness I’d heard through the Mimas’s preamp
section vanished when I removed the integrated entirely
from the signal chain and fed the Rossini DAC directly into
the D’Agostino Progressions. The extra warmth I’d heard in
the sound of King Creosote’s guitar was replaced by a natu-
ral resonance to its body. At one point in the song’s first half,
when the accompaniment is minimal, the pristine silence
that emerged lent the performance a hallowed feel. For the
first time, I realized that the low, steady pulse in part of this
track is intended to resemble a heartbeat.
In Gary’s room
I packed up the Mimas, took it along with me to the living
room of my friend Gary Forbes, and plugged it into his
system: Immedia RPM-1 turntable with SME 309 tonearm
and Lyra Delos cartridge, EAR 834P phono stage, Avalon
Acoustics Arcus loudspeakers, nondescript wiring—save for
the single power cord and pair of interconnects, all Nordost
Odin 2s, I’d brought over to provide some sonic consis-
tency with my own system (and which Gary asks to borrow
whenever I’m not using them). The Mimas replaced Gary’s
older VTL TP2.1 preamplifier and ST-150 power amp.
After the session, Gary sent me a note. I’ll quote a few of
his comments in much the same way that advertisers often
use comments from reviewers: “I... have never heard it artic-
ulated so forcefully and tunefully.” “I was able to hear deeper
into the recording, with lifelike image size.” “I heard more
body than head. RT’s searingly beautiful solo... floated well
beyond the speaker’s confines.” “Listening... through the
Digital Sources dCS Rossini SACD/CD transport & Rossini
DAC & Rossini clock; EMM Labs DV2 DAC; Intel NUC-
7i7BNH computer with 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD, running
Roon; Linksys routers with 2 sets TP-Link gigabit Ethernet
media converters & multimode duplex fiber-optic cables;
Small Green Computer linear power supplies (3); external
hard drives, USB sticks, Apple iPad Pro.
Power Amplifiers Dan D’Agostino Master Audio Systems
Progression monoblocks.
Loudspeakers Wilson Audio Specialties Alexia 2.
Cables Digital: AudioQuest Diamond (Ethernet), Nordost
Odin 1 & Odin 2 & Valhalla 2 (USB), Wireworld Platinum
Starlight Cat8. Interconnect: Nordost Odin 2. Speaker:
Nordost Odin 2. AC: AudioQuest Firebird HC, Kimber
Kable Palladian, Nordost Odin 2.
Accessories Grand Prix Monaco rack & amp stands,
1.5”-thick Formula platform. Nordost QB8, QX4 (2), QK1,
QV2 AC power accessories, QKore 1 & 6 with QKore
Wires, Titanium & Bronze Sort Kones, Sort Lifts. PS Audio
DirectStream Power Plant 20 power regenerator; Audio-
Quest Niagara 5000 power conditioner & NRG Edison
outlets; GreenWave AC filter; Marigo Aida CD mat; Stein
Music Super Naturals, Signature Harmonizers, Blue Suns/
Diamonds, Quantum Organizer; Bybee Room Neutralizers;
Absolare Stabilians; Resolution Acoustics room treatment;
Stillpoints Aperture panels.
Room 20' L by 16' W by 9' H.—Jason Victor SerinusASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT