Some months ago, The Absolute Sound’s Wayne Garcia, who is also a wine merchant, compared Aesthetix’ Pallene preamplifier and Dione power amp duo with fine wines. Now, he’s back with some further notes. Why the second review? “As it may be with, say, a budding friendship, the more time I spend with them the more the Aesthetix gear reveals its nature to me,” writes Garcia.  

Garcia ends his first review with a quote from Aesthetix’ founder and chief designer Jim White, who says, ““Even though I enjoy designing equipment at the bleeding edge, I also derive great satisfaction out of creating products that break price/performance barriers.”

Garcia finds White’s comment “refreshing” and “one that nicely sums up the value I find in Pallene and Dione, a value I find that much more impressive given the obvious care that Jim and his team put into all things Aesthetix.”

Aesthetix Pallene preamplifier in black

Aesthetix Dione power amplifier in black

“Another important thing that I’d like to expand on is the way this gear blooms and decays,” he writes in his second review. “If we picture musical sounds like we breathe, there’s a natural inhalation and exhalation. The notes are struck, the sound rises and blossoms into the air, hovers, overlapping like waves hitting the shore as the following notes are played, before easing out and downward in a cycle that lasts until the piece is finished. In this regard the Aesthetix gear excels—and again, exceptionally so for moderately priced hybrid gear.”

You can read Wayne Garcia’s duo of reviews for The Absolute Sound in full online: Aesthetix Pallene Preamplifier and Dione Power Amplifier (February 2025) and Further Thoughts (November 2025).

Discover the full range of Aethetix high-performance components and locate your nearest specialist retailer at www.aesthetix.net