Aesthetix Janus Saturn Series Full Function Preamplifer with Phono Stage

Aesthetix Janus

Saturn Series Full Function Preamplifer with Phono Stage

The Aesthetix Janus is a full-function all-tube preamplifier with six line level inputs and one phono input. The Janus represents the key features of Rhea phono stage and Calypso line stage combined into a single chassis. All tube amplification and output, a fully balanced line stage, discrete switched resistor volume control, versatile single-ended and balanced inputs and outputs, and dual-mono audio boards are all part of sophisticated Janus design. The full function remote controls all preamp and phono functions, including gain, loading, absolute phase and the internal demagnetiser. True to its Saturn Series heritage, the build and sound quality of Janus have won it global praise, including the 2010 and 2011 TAS Editor’s Choice Awards.

The Janus has the following features:

• Fully balanced differential line-level circuitry with ability to internally balance a single ended input signal.
• RCA and XLR provided for each input.
• Discrete resistor volume control with 88 1dB steps.
• Zero feedback.
• Phono input: 40-75dB gain maximum, selectable via front panel or remote control.
• Built-in MC cartridge demagnetizer.
• 9 MC loading settings: 75-47,000 ohms, selectable via front panel or remote control.
• All tube amplification and output (12 tubes total).
• Two sets of XLR and two sets of RCA outputs per channel.
• Bypass mode for home theatre processor throughput.
• Absolute phase, selectable via front panel or remote control.
• Full function remote included.

All of this attention to detail has resulted in a full-function preamplifier that transcends what is normally expected from an audiophile piece of equipment. The Janus scales heights that are normally the realm of uber-expensive products and it does it with ease. Sound quality is the prime objective here and the Janus is a phenomenal achievement. This value for money quality is spoken about in all the audio press and the Janus has accumulated many awards & accolades. These reasons are why Aesthetix products have developed a passionate following around the world.

Select a Specification to Suit Your Needs

The Janus is available in 3 versions, depending on the level of specification required.

Janus

• Tube linestage using high-grade Rel-Cap polypropylene coupling capacitors.
• Standard edition.

Janus Signature Series

• The Signature version uses custom-made inter-stage Teflon hybrid coupling capacitors, replacing the polypropylene units, between the gain stage and output stage (2 per channel). The change in these capacitors results in higher resolution, extension, less grain and more air. The 2uF output coupling capacitors (4 per channel) are replaced with 4uF Dynamicaps. This change provides more drive, bass extension, resolution and dynamics while also reducing grain.
• For the phono section, the Signature Version uses custom-made inter-stage Teflon hybrid coupling capacitors, replacing the polypropylene units, between the 2nd and 3rd gain stages(2 total per channel). The change in these capacitors results in higher resolution, extension, less grain and more air.
• The 2uF output coupling capacitors that drive the line section (2 per channel) are replaced with 4uF Dynamicaps. This change provides more drive, bass extension, resolution and dynamics while also reducing grain.
• Highly specialized adjustable air-core capacitors, used primarily in the radio-frequency realm, are installed and adjusted to “tweek” each unit to a rigid standard.
• The five rubber feet are replaced with Harmonic Resolutions Systems’ Nimbus Couplers specially made for Aesthetix (Earlier Signature Saturn pieces did not incorporate this, please contact Aesthetix for this free upgrade if you have an earlier Signature piece without the Nimbus Couplers). This change results in a lower noise floor and more air and space.
• The cost of these specialized parts alone is about 1/4 the manufacturing cost of a brand new unit! Any tubes that can be bettered by our special stock of graded and matched tubes are replaced. Any other improvements needed to make the unit current are installed, including software updates, etc.
• A new lens with “SIGNATURE” stencilled is installed. Each Signature unit undergoes rigorous test procedures and listening.

Janus Eclipse Series

• Internal changes to the Janus start with .22uF / 600v Stealth coupling capacitors used between the second and third gain stages, and the third gain stage and output stage of the phono section. Two more are used between the gain stage and output stage of the line section, per channel. Twelve of these exotic capacitors are used.
• There are four 2uF / 400v coupling capacitors used in each channel of the output stage of the Janus. In the Eclipse version, these are replaced with Stealth copper foil 4uF/400v, improving low frequency response.
• High frequency tuning capacitors are installed and hand-adjusted to tailor the frequency response to a tight .1dB standard (as also found on our Signature version).
• The high voltage transformer, heater transformer and high voltage choke are all re-installed on isolation mounts. Harmonic Resolutions Systems’ Nimbus Couplers specially made for Aesthetix replace the four rubber feet of standard units (as also found on the Signature version). The new power supply is installed with enhanced ventilation.
• Additional damping material is added to key chassis points.
• A single point ground system is used to ground the transformer cases as they are no longer electrically grounded to the chassis via physical contact due to their isolation mounts. All Eclipse Rhea, Calypso and Janus units receive a new power supply, which has been refined by improved trace routing to further reduce extraneous noise.
• Existing Janus units are factory upgradable to Eclipse specification.

Awards

Reviews

What Hi-Fi?, 2015

If you need a high-end preamp with a built-in phonostage we can’t think of a better alternative than the Janus…. We’re really impressed by this pre/power combination. Rarely has high-end amplification been so easy-going while still retaining the transparency the price point demands. Add that superb phonostage into the equation alongside the excellent build and sensible range of features and it’s clear that Aesthetix has produced one of the standout performers at this price. This is one to take very seriously indeed.

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HiFi+, Roy Gregory, 2014

These amps are good enough and communicative enough to put you really close to the performers and their performance. With unforced power and a real sense of presence, they project music with an uncannily natural sense of pace, flow and colour. The Janus, despite the astonishing value, will clearly only appeal to those who use, or want to get back into using, vinyl. That makes the cost of the phono-stage in the Janus pretty much a revelation to many listeners – especially those used to the one size fits all approach adopted by so many manufacturers. It’s not until you use these Aesthetix electronics together that you realize their full potential – and believe me, that potential is considerable!

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The Audio Beat, Roy Gregory, 2014

The Janus and Atlas Signature models can form a solid, beating musical heart, right at the center of such systems. Listen to them and I think you will be shocked by just how much musical energy they deliver, the authority with which it arrives and just how much sense it makes when it does. Considering that, as far as Aesthetix are concerned, these products are one notch above entry level, I find it remarkable just how completely satisfying they are to use. For Aesthetix, they may well only be one rung up the performance ladder, but for many a listener they are going to represent an approachable, practical and musically satisfying endgame — just the endgame many of them will have been seeking out for many a long year.

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HiFi Unlimited, 2020

The Aesthetix Janus Signature did not commit that very same sin. All the technical improvements described above, was accompanied by real soul of the music. Soul of music, it’s something you feel with the music, the emotions that carries the music. Not many high end hi-fi components can bring out the soul and emotion that is in the music these days. For me, that is a major failure of many high end hi-fi manufacturers these days. Technical supremacy means nothing if it fails to connect the listener’s soul to the emotions that carries the music.

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The Absolute Sound High-End Audio Buyers Guide (Spring 2013)

Speed and detail… highs without a glint of shrillness… low noise floor… hours of glorious, fatigue-free listening.” (JANUS and CALYPSO SIGNATURE)

The Absolute Sound, Alan Taffel, 2009

…inserted the Janus Signature. What I heard then was nothing short of a transformation.

Product Specification

Item

Full function Preamplifier (with phono)

Inputs

1 phono RCA (SE), 5 line RCA or XLR (balanced), plus 1 tape, RCA or XLR

Outputs

2 RCA (SE) and XLR (balanced), 1 tape RCA

Phono Gain Settings

8 total; 75, 68, 62, 56, 50, 44, 38 dB, and off

Phono Load Settings

9 total; 47 K ohms, 10K, 5K, 2.5K, 1K, 500 ohms, 250, 125, and 75 ohms

Line Level Gain

23 dB single ended (SE), in/out, and 29 dB balanced/out

Volume Control

Switched resistor network volume control with 88 1 dB steps

Front Panel Controls

Main input, tape input select, volume, balance, phase, mute, display, bypass and standby

Remote Controls

Main input, tape input select, volume, balance, phase, mute, display, phono gain and loading, demagnetiser, bypass and standby

Frequency Response

±0.25 dB, 20 Hz – 20 kHz

Signal to Noise

Measured at 70 dB minimum A-weighted (ref 1 mv input, 75 dB gain setting)

Line Input Impedance

40 k ohms SE, 80 k ohms balanced

Maximum Line Input

3.5 volts SE, 7.0 volts RMS balanced

Output Impedance

1K ohms SE, 600 ohms balanced

Recommended Load

10K ohms or greater (SE), 20K ohms or greater (Balanced)

Tubes (per channel)

Phono section: V1 & V2 (12AX7-factory graded low noise), V3 (12AX7), V4 (6922/6DJ8); line section: V1 (12AX7 or equivalent), V2 (6922/6DJ8)

Power Consumption

20 watts standby, 120 watts active

Dimensions

457 (W) x 111 (H) x 457 (D) mm including jacks

Weight

18.2 kg

Finish

Black or Silver

Warranty

3 years, non-transferable.

User Reviews