Sound, Design, High Quality handmade

In the never ending quest for the perfect sound i ran across the Classic One. I brought it home for an evening and was totally stunned by the clarity, depth, and warm sound. Tubes tend to be much easier to listen to for long periods primarily due to the smoothness of the high end. Not to worry though you hear all the music high and low. With my HGP Fuga there seemed to be a magical aura to the music that could not be reproduced with solid state equipment. This is a totally non-biased opinion to seeing that ive always owned solid state products. IF YOU ARE IN THE MARKET FOR EITHER SEPARATES OR AN INTEGRATED TWO CHANNEL AMP I WOULD STRONGLY URGE YOU TO SET UP A HOME AUDITION OF THIS PRODUCT. I DID AND LANDED UP PURCHASING ONE. NOTE: be shure that your speakers are and easy load for optimum output and sound though

Similar Products Used:

Obsession II - HGP Fuga

transparant, open, controlled, equal power delivery, design (spouse acceptance rating: 10+)

no phono module

I traded in Marantz PM16 for Pathos. PM16 is a terrific amp, but can't play my new Final (dutch) electrostats; it clips to security mode. That's why I needed electrostat friendly amp. I found it all in Pathos which also drives very well my second speaker set Linear Acoustic LA20Jet. This amp is a killer that allows all other components (Marantz CD10) to shine. The controll and transparency, even at high volume level is incredible. It drives (difficult) electrostats easily and makes their foils move!
Don't be mislead by seemingly low power of the Classical One. It's true and quality power you get. The price for the package is real value.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz PM16

TRANSPARENCY!!!! 90 REAL watts in 4ohms, Neautrality, Pretty good dynamic ability, detail, detail, detail... mid-band resolution. Better bass than most all-tube designs... Build quality and cosmetics are unmatched at the price.

May seem a little cold or analytical compared to tube... or, the Pathos twin towers. It's not a "romantic" amp, and it's not at all forgiving of inferior upstream electronics. Bass is a little on the weak side... not sluggish, but a little soft... I suppose, for the price this is to be expected.

I really had no intention of buying a new amp. I went into my favorite local hi-fi hut to pick a new pair of Kimber PBJ interconnects with the better WBT connectors to replace my original PBJ... I saw the pathos sitting out on the counter, waiting to be packed away after an audition. I was instantly drawn to it. It's quite beautiful, and certainly looks like it costs more than 2k. I was stunned by the price... I thought it would actually cost around the same as the Twin Towers, which I had long lusted
after. I listened with a pair of B&W nautilus 805 and a Rega Jupiter/IO combo at the dealer. At home, I've got a Rega planet and B&WCDM1SE's. I was instantly impressed with this amp. Lately, I had been a little dissatisfied with my Music Reference RM10... it seemed almost unbearably weak in the the bass... plus, there was really no hope of it driving my dream speakers... Martin Logan Aeirus I's.

The pathos offered the immediate "Bass-fix" I had longed for... but also, maintained a portion of the liquid mids and highs I love from tubes... it did sound a little less musical and cold compared to the RM10's overall sound, but I think the Pathos is more honest... it's neutral, and I couldn't live bass-less any longer.

Unfortunately, with this amp, I could really hear the difference between my Rega Planet and the new Jupiter/IO combo... My player sounds a little more electronic and harsh... I couldn't hear the difference with the RM10. Also, I can hear the differences in cables more reliably now... the kimber silver streaks they used at the store sounded crisper and more open than my beloved PBJ... that's just it... this amp is going tomake you want all new stuff!!

It drove the Nautiluses and the CDM1SE's --no problem. They are both reasoanbly efficent 8ohm-ers... but I really wanted to hear the Aeirus 1's... sure enough, the pathos drove my friends Aeirus 1's, loud and clear! I was a bit surprised, as Martin Logan insists you'll really need 100wpc... The pathos puts out 90w into the 4ohm load, which was plenty to get the most from these fantastic speakers... power into 8ohm speakers in 50wpc... plenty for my need.

Anyway, overall, it's a great amp, and very, very wife friendly in terms of price and especially cosmetics. this, along with my rega lends a kind of space-aged-retro look to my system... the remote is even cool--- solid wood with brass buttons. Good amp, fun to hear the differences between wires... great price

Overall, 4 stars

5 for the money

Similar Products Used:

Music Reference Rm10's, Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista, Mesa Tigris, Conrad Johnson CAV50

Sonic Purity, Superior style

Having to eventually switch it off

Hybrid amplifiers are the audiophile's dream secret, following the form that offers the best of both worlds solid state and tube gear. The designers at Pathos (I've met them, while viewing my unit being assembled at the shop in Vicenza) with long established tradition in designing good sounding hybrid amps have pulled it off nicely with this little unit.

Pathos Classic One is as easily a work of art as a finely crafted piece of audio equipment. With its retro design it is about the most beautiful amp I've come across, except perhaps its big brother the twin towers.

While the Classic One's soul exploits its tubes to get analiticity and inner detail, its solid state heart pumps current into your speakers. Fast when needed, this amp can follow the "tempo" of any musical program with silky precision while the dynamic gaps are filled with rigour.
This means the power supply has been cleverly designed and the 44,000 uF into the PSU make sure you won't ever run out of steam. Actually, at 50 watts this amp can go toe to toe with the big boys especially with efficient speakers.

If everythings in a name then they got it right, it's a Classic.

Similar Products Used:

Unison Research SR-1, Graff Venticinque

"Chrome, gold and polished walnut everywhere", cried I.

Remote?...It's got that too!

I wanted to review this piece sooner, but decided to wait approx. 100 hrs. until a reasonable break-in time had occured.

It's rythmic, open midrange is indeed infectious and is complimented by precise timing. Tonal balance is on the "warm" side, however; not at the expense of ploppy/thick bass or overemphasized top end. The warmth is a benefit to female vocals and string ensemble, never hard or forced in presentation. Acoustic instruments are well defined ,natural and express their composite timber and textures within a first rate soundstage.

Classic retro styling will make it an object of absolute beauty or scorn depending on your personal taste of the arts. I myself feel it makes other associated components look less expensive or "boxy" when placed side-by-side. The Italians have always had a way with expressive detail.

In the final analysis; if your budget is between 2 - 3k and you appreciate the classic looks of days gone by, give the Pathos a listen....

This thing is a music-maker!

4.5 stars for looks, sound and overall value. A "worthy contender"

aesthetics, long term listening

not much

the classic one is a gem.
a great hybrid amp that combines the speed, detail
and bass of solid state, yet conveys the warmth of
tubes. The amp truly reflects source equipment
so match carefully. The bass is truly impressive
as my neighbors can testify.
I would recommend pairing the amp with a "musical"
cd player as the amp's sound may be a bit too
"detailed" or digital. Otherwise plug it in, warm it
up and enjoy the lush music that pours forth.
Also, a final note, the Italian design of the amp
and the unique all wood remote sets this amp apart from
the bland american and english black boxes.

Stage recreation

Makes bad disks hard to listen

This amp shines with good CDs. It recreates a very convincing soundstage, goes low enough on the bass and is just a bit bright on the treble. The female voices are finely reproduced, although not with that kind of sound that you get from an all-valve amp, such as the sinthesis in the same price range. For a fact, the pathos' overall sound is much more solid-state that valves. Compared to the pathos, the sinthesis is deceptively more flat and less extended. I had no doubts and ended up with the pathos.
The pathos worked extremely well with the b&w nautilus 805 and even better with the more expensive sonus faber electra amator III. This, for me, is a good indicator, considering that the sonus faber is 3x the cost of the pathos.
With the SF, the pathos delivers a more relaxed and, at the same time, detailed sound. On the other hand, the bass is better reproduced with the 805. Considering the price differences, I certainly would go with the 805.
By the way, I tested the pathos with the SF concerto for 5 minutes, enough to understand that they do not match.
Any weaknesses? Yes, some of my CDs cannot be reproduced any more, because they sound too harsh. The pathos does not any thing to hide their auful sound.
You should also be careful about the source. I tested some alternatives and preferred a mark levinson CD player, so be prepared...
Ah, also be careful before you buy one and see if you have some place where you can put it, since it does not fit above common hifi.

Similar Products Used:

Sinthesis, naim nait 2 + nap 90

I began my search for a new amplifier after recently upgrading my speakers to a pair of ProAc’s excellent Response 1SCs. The clarity and openness of these mini-monitors revealed the shortcomings of my previous amp, a Cyrus III / PSX-R power supply combo. I’d heard that the 1SCs were particularly happy when paired with tube gear, and so this is the route I decided explore – initially.
The tube gear I listened to (pre/power and integrated units from Sonic Frontiers, Cary and Conrad Johnson) exhibited all the traits that I expected: crystalline clarity, wondrously lush midrange and a sense of romance that I had never heard with solid state gear. However, the usual complaints were also there – rolled off frequency extremes, lackadaisical rhythm and a loss of bass definition and slam.

It seemed like I’d been caught right in the middle of the old tube vs. solid state debate, and I’d have to decide which was the lesser of two evils (or, to put it more positively, the greater of two goods).

Then I heard about the Pathos Acoustics Classic One.

The Classic One is a hybrid integrated amplifier, employing a tubed preamp stage and a solid state power amp. Both stages have their own, dedicated power supplies and the whole shebang is housed in a rather compact chassis (quite a big consideration, considering the cramped living conditions here in Hong Kong).

Visually, the Classic One is stunning. The main body of the unit is chrome, with an understated black acrylic cover. The two ECC8625 tubes used in the preamp section sit right up front, followed by two red capacitors and then the power supply and power sections of the amp. Two pairs of 5-way binding posts sit at the rear of the amp’s upper housing. The back features RCA plugs for 4 unbalanced inputs, as well as a sockets for one pair of XLR balanced inputs.

The front fascia sports a beautiful walnut embellishment, which also surrounds the volume and input selector knobs. Neither the volume nor input knob features any markings, save for a dot on the knob itself to give an indication of its current position. The walnut theme continues onto the remote, which is probably the classiest I’ve ever seen. Simple and elegant, the remote is a nicely weighted walnut affair with two brass buttons that control volume. Input selection must be done on the amp itself, however, as I only use one source (my CD player), this feature was never missed.

Now onto the sound.

The sound of the Classic One is, at the risk of sounding biased (which I am), everything I was looking for in an amp. It does all the things a good amp is supposed to do, but most importantly, it does it all extremely musically. Forget toe tapping! I often find myself sitting in my listening chair with my head bobbing, my body swaying to the rhythm and a huge grin plastered across my face!

Starting from the bottom, the bass is fast, articulate deep. As far as I can tell, this is attributable to the solid state power section of the amp. Compared to my old Cyrus, the Classic One goes at least an octave deeper, while at the same time bringing new levels of control and slam. I was truly shocked to hear such deep, defined bass coming out of my mini-monitors.

It was easy to pick out the three distinct acoustic basses on “Splanky” from Christian McBride’s album, “Getting’ To It”. The Classic One presented each bass with a slightly different, woody tonality – reflecting the sound quality of each instrument. “The Sinister Minister” from the self-titled Bela Fleck and the Flecktones album, is a showcase of electric bass and the Pathos came through again with a superbly musical rendition.

The midrange reflects the use of tubed electronics in the preamp section: clarity, openness and warmth. Vocals and acoustic instruments are presented particularly well. I’ve played the violin for twenty-odd years, and the Pathos does a great job of presenting the sweet tonality of solo violin – a sound that is all too often tinny and bright on lesser equipment.

Male vocals are fabulous, from the deep, smooth and rich voice of Eric Bibb on his album “Me To You”, to the gravely texture of Mark Knopfler’s vocals on Dire Straits’ “Love Over Gold”. Female vocals also shine. From the opening notes of Margo Timmons’ a cappella solo on the Cowboy Junkies’ “Trinity Sessions”, her voice sent shivers up and down my spine.

Treble is, in a word, smoooooth. Much of the glare or hardening that I heard with the Cyrus on extreme high frequencies is gone. In its place is a natural, effortless presentation with a good sense of air and presence.

Imaging is quite good, and it is easy to pick out individual instruments in the Classic One’s broad and deep soundstage. Layering is quite impressive, with vocalists placed just behind the plane of the speakers, and the band usually a few feet behind. Laterally, the soundstage extends well beyond my speakers – and with good recordings, some 3-4 feet beyond the side walls of my listening room!

This may sound trite, but I really had to search for the downsides of this amp. One, it doesn’t come with a power cord, so you’ll have to spring a few extra bucks for an IEC cord. Second, distribution (at least in Hong Kong) is somewhat limited. In terms of sound, I could go for a deeper soundstage, but I have the nagging feeling that there’s more potential in the Classic One that’s being held back by my other components.

Is the Pathos Classic One the perfect amp? No, it’s probably not. But it’s definitely in the running. Given a retail price of about US$1,300 here in Hong Kong, it’s tough to beat. Five stars in my book.

I had the chance to listen to this amp driving a pair of Castle Harlechs and the source was by Audio Analogue.This system ruled (see below). We then changed the amp and much of the enjoyment disappeared. Although the amp is ugly(get rid of thatwood trim and change it to black or red lacquer), it is really good.
Huge soundstage,voices were great as was bass. It was like M.Berenyi and E.Anderson were singing right in front of me. Easily five stars. If anyone wants to hear this system, go to Executive Stereo in Toronto.

I bought "Classic One" after trying several ampifiers within budget 1K to 2K USD. I found out classic one has is very musical. The sound is very detail and clear. It reproduces vocal clearly, and has a good warmth midrange. However, this amp does not reproduce bass as strong as US amps (my opinion).
Overall, Classic One is a good amp. I believe it's value for money, besides it has a good design which makes it looks an expensive amp. I give 4.5 stars for looks and overall value.