Zu audio definitely appreciated your review. They put it on their website and put out an email to their subscribers featuring it. You may think your channel is small but it apparently has an impact. This may also be helping you become better known.
Thing is even if he is still a small channel compared to others and somewhat new in this game. He genuinely feels sincere and his approach actually fits somewhat my hifi journey. I enjoy his direct and fair descriptions
@@NemoPropaganda appreciate the response, but it's pure facts. Zu dwx with a black ice audio f35. V2 to make you a believer bud hehe. Might be other god options, but for a 4k included streamer that gives you a hallelujah
Wonderful review Nemo! Thanks for sharing and shout out to the staff @ Upscale for allowing this! I for one would love to see you go up the scale with Pathos other amplifiers consecutively, but hey, I understand I'm just one of many fans of your channel. Again, thanks for sharing.
Excellent point. I've always thought that speakers while they can have their character flaws are capable of much more than one would guess if you upgrade the front end. I drive my DWX Superflys with a preamp and mono amps that retail for $7k and I love it.
@@robk5745 Rogue RP-5 preamp and a pair of Belles Aria mono amps with 112 WPC. You can score all of that including a good RCA interconnect (I use Audience Studio 2. for about $4k. So Probably about what you could snag a used Pathos for if you can find one. Front end is an Auralic G1.1, streamer, an Audiolab 9000 cd transport and a Denafrips Pontus II 12 anniversary with Cardas digital cables. Thats the sad story for my Visa. I did just sell some Dynaudio Special 40s and Totem Signature One speakers preferring the Zu to them both although they are both good but different speakers.
@@robk5745 Rogue RP-5, Two Belles Aria Mono amps. Bought mostly used for about $450. Throw in a good interconnect and figure $5k. Tossup with the Pathos. I wonder how they would do with a $2k Heaven Eleven Billie amp?
Great channel and review my man. I recently picked up their sister headphone amplifier, the Inpol Ear with the internal DAC option. It is astonishingly good! Pathos is a very impressive company 🙏
Hi friend! Love your channel. Yeah last year I bought a Pathos Aurium Headphone amplifier and I really adore it. I think it is very easy to know where you are going from when speaking about Pathos and the way you describe their sound signature. Definitely sweet sounding. Very musical. ❤
Great review Nemo. I found your description of the Pathos as being holographic with ample space in between instruments to be intriguing. The reason is because I attribute that description to be emanating from the Electroharmonix tubes. I own a Freya+ tube preamp and adding the EH tubes to the gain stage endowed my system with precisely those characteristics. Prior to that addition, I was using the stock premium Tung Sol tubes...which presented with nice detail, but not as warm, not as holographic, a narrower soundstage, and less bass in comparison to the EH tubes. Essentially, the EH tubes transformed my system. By analogy, I believe the EH tubes are providing a lot of the positive attributes you had described for this amp as well.
I'm sure the EH tubes are a factor but I think it's the unit as a whole, every litting thing contributes to the end result much like a symphony. Believe it or not even the way volume is attenuated can have a large ipmact on the overall sound.
You're in for a treat. Mine are the Superbly edition. Found used for $1600 and was a killer deal. Even for $700 more new shipped with Ca. tax. WORTH it.
Man, I can tell how much you loved this one. At some point it was almost like you were a teenager talking about his first crush and the heartache that comes with it. Great review. I also love that it makes Buchardt S400 MkIIs sing. One question, given the relatively low power compared to class AB amps, were you able to get to satisfactory levels of volume with the S400s?
Yes! My room isn't too big, depending on how I measure it it's around 12x14 with 9ft ceilings and I generally don't go louder than 85-87dB, that's me rocking out lol. The Inpol Remix didn't have any issues getting me to these volumes and more importantly kept it's composure 100% never sounding strained or forced.
I don't mean to oversell this amp but I think it would pair well with any speaker, i seriously loved it! The sound isn't very colored in any direction, tonally it's mostly neutral. The sound is highly refined and natural so it's sound quality is what's so great. The only way I think someone would not like this amp is if they want some coloration in either direction, bright or warm, etc...
some people would like to know the dimensions, some may wish to know the price, some may wish to know the ohms, I cannot discuss every spec of every product I mention, the video would be far too long and very boring.
Well, i guess i'm even more convinced that the rsl amp is a seriously good investment for me. Oh, do you use it for testing speakers up to 1-2k? For what you recommended it for, i believe it would make sense. It would be a great option for a non-incredible but absolutely damn good and very affordable testing option for a realistic perspective for many buyers.
I tried it with the R3 Meta, S400 MK2, and Evoke 20, that gave me enough data points that I don't feel I need to keep testing it. The iA255.1 has proven itself as the best ultra budget amp period in my book.
@@NemoPropaganda i mean for testing speakers, not the amp itself, for the people who "cheaped out" on the rsl in order to buy the expensive speakers to use on it.
I know it's really not the same but if there is an RSL-esk kickass value/performance tube preamp that gives 5%-10% of this under $500 (ideally under $200, maybe schiit offerings?) i'd love to see it. Would be very nice.
That’s gonna be tough. I would look on the used market. The Valhalla 2 is a headphone amp but also can be a great tube preamp for little money. No remote though.
@@NemoPropaganda i don't expect full amps to be much good for those prices, possibly hybrids. I'm more curious in a preamp. An actually good hybrid would be nice, but then again the idea could be to "make one" with the rsl as the "solid state" bit. I guess i'll let you know if i come across one
H190 is great and offers up a lot more power, the two amps are tonally similar but the Class A Pathos is a step up overall in terms of holographics, staging, separation, and sound quality. If you like one then you will like the other.
Have you heard both amps to attest that opinion? The fact that schiiit is clas ab and the pathos in class A; will.mark a difference btween sound characteritics from the geto go
I haven’t heard the pathos but just by looking at the general topology there is no way they are in the same league. Schiit products are good - for the money.
