Aesthetix Calypso -vs- Ayre K-1Xe preamps?

Audio girl, I've been reading your preamp threads, and since I didn't have any experience to offer, I've refrained from replying. You've got a lot of excellent advice in other threads, and I don't think there's enough audiophiles here who have compared the two to really give you a consensus.

As mentioned on other threads, you're really looking at solid state vs tube and you've stated that you're very tempted to try out a tube pre. So you really should audition a tube preamp and see if you like it. Now are you using the phono section in the Ayre? If so, that might be a consideration too.

Well, since you have gotten zip in the way of input, I will give you my "impressions" of the differences. (FYI, I have the Ayre K-1XE, and I love it.) Please note this comparision is based upon my friend's Aesthetix Rhea phono preamp, not the Calypso line stage. However, I am lead to believe (based on my reviews and my friend's auditioning of the Calypso), that they are similiar is sonics.) FYI, my friend uses an ARC Ref. 2 preamp, with his Rhea, in case that makes any difference to you.

You should already know the Ayre strengths and weaknesses, as you have one. They are very detailed, have a very low noise floor, it is a true balanced design, and it is very musical, (surprisingly so for a solid state unit).
The phono stage is very good, but not quite as good as the Aesthetix Rhea. The Rhea is slightly more musical, and the distortion from the tubes is not as grainy as the Ayre. (Not that the Ayre has much graininess, but it is solid state, so there is a little bit at higher volumes.)

The weakness of the Rhea, and from what I have read, the same is true of the Calypso, is that they are a bit on the noisy side for tube units. Tube rolling will solve some of this, but it will never be quite as a quiet as the Ayre.

As you can see, there are trade offs involved for both.

Question to you now:
What about the Ayre are you not satified with?
(Or is it just upgraditis hitting you?)
From what listening to my friend's Rhea, it is a fine phono preamp, and having a bit of noise in a phono preamp is somewhat to be expected. However, having the same noise in a line stage is a bit distracting. If you go that route, do a search here and on Audio Asylum as to which tubes to try. (I gave up on my ARC LS-2 preamp and PH-3 phono preamp for exactly that reason: the tube rushing noise eventually got to me. I have no regrets at all about not having tubes in my preamp sections of my system!)

However, in my opinion, YOU just might be better off with the Calypso, (and the Rhea, as you will need a phono stage too) as you would at least introduce a bit of that ole "tube magic" with a tube preamp, since you are considering a solid state set of monoblocks.
I did the same type of thing, except I went reversed it.
I use my Ayre K-1XE preamp with hybrid Lamm M2.1 monoblock amps. The Lamms only have one tube in each channel, but it is just enough to get me the mid-range magic that tubes provide. (However, like a good solid state amp, the frequency extension on both ends, but especially in the bass response, is fantastic with the Lamms.) Another thought for you would be to get the Aesthetix Janus, which combines the Calypso and the Rhea into one unit. (Save you a bit of money.)

Anyway, take what I wrote with a grain of salt, as I have had to extrapolate from a similar unit, and from my friends experience, rather than a straight up comparision myself.

Well, Good Luck in your search!

Thanks guys for all of your responses!
I am not unhappy with the Ayre, I was just curious on how it compared with a great tube preamp like the Aesthetix Calypso and its "tube magic".
I am also very curious about the Calypso/Parasound Halo combo that Perfectionist is extremely happy with.
Guess I am just itchin' to give tubes a spin!
Thanks again.

I read the Audiophile Perfectionist journal last year that included both of the products that you are looking at in one of their journals. This will not help as they liked both the Ayre K1xe and Aesthetix Calypso extreemely well. I ended up buying the Calypso a few weeks ago as I wanted a little more warmth in my system. You might try talking to dealers that carry both products.

Good Luck

I have demoed the Ayre and owned the Calypso prior to selling it due to system integration with my theater system, (not as bad as you think). First off, they are both awesome preamps, and the Calypso is not "tubey" sounding at all, so the tonal signature of each is relatively similar.

One thing the Calypso does that no SS pre I have heard other than those costing as much as my car does is create a truly immersive, layered, and extended soundstage. What makes the Calypso great is that with this you don't lose the focus or placement in the stage, nor do you get bloated bass, or rolled off bass or highs.

The Calypso is much like the Sonic Frontiers Line2 SE I owner before with less grain and more dynamics while being a little less forward.

I will say you cannot use the stock tubes and expect it to be quiet, but there are some inexpensive options I found performed incredibly well for less than $30 a tube. As always people will either look at tube rolling as fun, or as a chore, and this also likely depends if you are a diehard tube lover, or a longtime SS user. The Calypso is very easy though as the top cover is removeable with no tools or screws, you can roll tubes very quickly (as long as it takes to cool them off).

I agree with Mds's post, the Calypso isn't warm, but you can make it warmer with different tubes, and the Ayre isn't what I would call warm either. I owned a CX-7e for a while as well, great player, but just the facts, not bright or warm, just neutral.

Good luck, you can't go wrong with either pre.