Aesthetix Janus Signature / Atlas Stereo Signature
it may surprise many readers to know that there’s no shortage of pre/power combinations that cost £20,000. We’ve heard many of them over the years and in our view this Aesthetix Janus Signature and Aesthetix Atlas Stereo Signature pre/ power combo is one of the very best. The standard (non-signature) pre and power are great but, if you can stretch to them, the Signature versions are well worth their asking price in the right system.
Old style, new twist
The Janus Signature preamplifier seems old school: it uses a valve-based circuit and includes a serious phonostage, where most rivals have long since gone line-level only. But Aesthetix’s execution of this design is very much cutting-edge.
It’s the flexibility of the phonostage that grabs our attention. The circuit’s gain can be adjusted from 40db to 75db, which means it accommodates both moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges. Electrical cartridge loading can be set from 75ohms to 47kohms.
Beyond the Janus’s phonostage there’s an ample supply of line-level inputs and outputs of both the single-ended and balanced variety.
Take the lid off the preamp – easy to do because it’s held on (securely) by strips of Velcro; you need access to change valves and so on – and you’ll find an immaculately constructed product. The valve-powered circuit is dual-mono and fully balanced throughout.
The Atlas Signature power amp is something of a beast. It weighs a hefty 32kg. Impressively, its 200W per channel output doubles as impedance halves to 4 ohms – that’s enough to drive any speaker to decent levels, even in a large room.
Inside you’ll find the same care found on the preamp. The Atlas is a hybrid design that couples a valve input stage to a transistor-based output section.
It says much for the talent of this pairing that our biggest complaint has to do with the remote control. While perfectly functional, it just isn’t classy enough for a product of this price.
“Comfortable” is the word we keep coming back to in our listening notes. The Aesthetix sound is smooth and as refined as you like. There are no hard edges here, even with less than perfect recordings. There’s also sledgehammer muscle when it’s required.
Debussy’s Clair De Lune requires no such muscle but, from our reference Naim NDS555PS streamer, it reveals this combo’s exquisite finesse and resolution.
We’re struck by the solidity of the sound first, followed by the clean and precise way this amplifier defines the shape of the piano notes. There’s so much detail on offer, yet what we really love is the dynamic flow and musicality. Hans Zimmer’s The Dark Knight Rises OST reveals awesome scale and authority. There’s impressive low-end punch and an ability to deliver large-scale dynamic swings with real venom. Stereo imaging is impressive too, the soundstage nicely layered and precisely populated.
Sweetness and warmth
Tonally, things aren't completely neutral: there’s a hint of sweetness at high frequencies and some extra warmth and richness through the midrange and bass. None of this goes too far though.
What of that phonostage? It’s terrific, giving little away to the linestage in terms of clarity. We listen to a range of vinyl from REM’S Automatic For The People to Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and always love what we hear. Vocals are delivered with fluidity and communicate real presence, while any energy and sparkle in the music is cherished.
Rarely has high-end amplification been so easy-going while still retaining the transparency the price point demands. Add that superb phonostage and sensible range of features and it’s clear this is a stand-out combination.