Aesthetix IO vs. Manley Steelhead vs. The Groove

Jacob, I would add the Vendetta Gen. II to your short list...it should be available later this year and may render everything else irrelevant...I plan to get one built into my CTC Blowtorch preamp...drop me a line if you'd like info, and do come for a listen while in Chicago...

Brian Walsh

The Walker Audio phono stage is a true SOTA contender based on listening to it in Lloyd's system. Given my biases, I don't prefer it over my Io Signature, but it is incredibly good.

Gladstone, I have compared the Walker to Io in my system. Louis Gennarelli (another Audiogon member) and I compared the Walker, IO and Manley in his system. Both of us believe the Io is in a league all it's own.

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1052857830&openusid&zzLogenn&4&5#Logenn

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1064264455&openusid&zzLogenn&4&5#Logenn

As for tweaks, here is the link to my ravings:

http://audiogo1.iserver.net/cgi-bin/forum5.pl?aamps&980918116&read&keyw&zzaesthetix

The Walker is a distant third place among these in my opinion. I love my Walker TT, motor controller and HDL's, but the phono and I never bonded.

It certainly sounds like a number of people prefer the IO by a wide margin to the Manley. I can see that the tubed power supply and lack of a transformer would certainly give the IO the edge.

I ran the Manley Steelhead for a few months and then Auditioned it against the Tom Evans Groove +. I was definitely into the Steelhead but once I hooked the Groove up I was amazed at how much better it sounded to me. I went from enjoying my listening to a huge smile from ear to ear that I had no control over.

The Groove has so much more presence than the Steelhead. It seemed to float through the music so much more effortlessly. I likened it to a 14 year old bully beating up on a 9 year old computer geek.

I also appreciate the fact that I do not have to wait for it to warm up as long as I did with the Steelhead. You never know when the vinyl bug is going to bite. Sometimes you think of a record and have to run over and hear it right that second.

I'm running a Vpi Hrx, Lyra Skala, and of course the Groove.