History behind Aesthetix

Aesthetix is the brain child of engineer and music lover Jim White.
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue13/whiteinterview.htm

In 1994 I had an Oracle Delphi MkII and Koetsu Rosewood Signature. I needed a phono stage because of the very low output level of that cartridge, and wanted one that was all tube.  At that time, none existed in the market, so I wasn’t able to purchase one. I thought and thought about it, coming up with a circuit that I thought might work well. The original was all on one chassis and had terrible hum and noise problems. I took it to my friend, Jay Nakamura, to listen. He said that I had to build it, that it was too good not to make available to other people. He promised he would buy one. That was the very beginning.

Ironically, while prototyping I made a change to the circuit and accidentally connected a heater supply to the input tube’s grid. I didn’t thoroughly test it, and hooked it up to my Koetsu to listen to the change. It immediately blew the coil of the Koetsu, making my need for the phono stage moot. That was the lowest point, I nearly gave up. I was heartbroken because the cartridge had been given to me by a good friend. I needed a new cartridge and had no money. Jay told me to call his friend Garth, the US distributor for Benz cartridges. I called Garth and told him I had no money and needed the cheapest low output coil he had because I was developing an all-tube high-gain phono stage. He still tells that story to this day, he thought it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. An all out phono stage designed with the cheapest cartridge? Ha! He ended up distributing Aesthetix!

http://www.aesthetix.net/products.php



5220 Gabbert Road, Suite A
Moorpark, CA 93021
info@aesthetix.net  •  (805) 529-9901