A lot has happened since the Aesthetix Mimas integrated amplifier won its first Golden Ear Award in 2019, along with a Product of the Year Award, from US audio magazine The Absolute Sound. Many excellent new hi-fi components have come to market and yet, the Mimas remains steadfastly among the best – as evidenced by another Golden Ear Award in 2023.

“Designed to impress you, built to outlast you” is Californian Aesthetix tagline and, while none of us likes to think of ourselves being outlasted, it’s reassuring to know that our hi-fi system will continue to bring us a lifetime of unwavering joy until then! An exceptional audio system is an investment, and few investments balance thrills and excitement with reliability and robustness the way Aesthetix does.

The Mimas is a hybrid integrated amplifier intended for high performance audio and home cinema systems – ‘hybrid’ in the sense that it combines the best of both worlds, marrying both valves/tubes and solid state (transistor) technologies.

With the Mimas, Aesthetix sought to bring key elements of the design and performance of their ultra high-performance separates, such as the world-class Atlas power amplifier and award-winning Calypso linestage, into a more accessible integrated format. So, the Mimas boasts zero feedback, and differential and balanced bridge outputs modelled after the Atlas, and a discrete switched resistor volume control based on the Calypso linestage – as well as a raft of other signature Aesthetix technologies.

“It’s as silent as they come, with a noise floor free from electronic grunge and debris,” notes The Absolute Sound. For those ever-torn between the either/or pros and cons of valves versus solid state, the Mimas simply dissolves the dichotomy. “Mimas never sounds like it’s under the sway of tubes or solid state. There are no obvious fingerprints or colorations, tonal dips or peaks, treble octave grit or grain, or faltering in the lower frequencies.”

What’s more, owners can be assured that the peak of the Mimas’ performance will never wane. “The word obsolete doesn’t register [with Aesthetix] and I’m awed by their culture of continually supporting every component they’ve ever produced – every one. A richly deserved Golden Ear.”

Find out more and locate your nearest specialist dealer at http://www.aesthetix.net

Discover the full list of Golden Ear Award winners 2023 in the September issue of The Absolute Sound.