An Emotional Legacy
The new Pathos flagship integrated is here
The Legacy integrated amp is the Pathos founder's personal "ideal legacy".
From pianississimo to fortississimo with grace and (when necessary) violence.
When Gaetano Zanini, the soft-spoken co-founder of Pathos Acoustics, speaks of his "ideal legacy," he is picturing the audio equivalent of a mic drop. And that's what the Pathos Legacy integrated amp is: a triumph of engineering that takes all the magic of his family company to near illogical extremes, something that should be familiar to fans of any Italian design.
After all, a Pathos amp that bears the honor (and burden!) of being Gaetano's legacy needs to feel like the last amplifier wrought in Vicenza, Italy. And it does. Consider that this integrated amp is the size of a steamer trunk and weighs an impressive 308 lb, with those "Pathos" script cooling fins running a full 2.5 feet down each side. Six of Pathos' familiar bright red mega-capacitors lead your eye along the center of the amp as if gazing down a boulevard.
The Technology
The Legacy is a fully balanced dual-mono amplifier running in class-A and delivering 100 W per channel into 8 ohms (170 W into 4 ohms). It's a given that it uses Pathos' patented InPol technology (in this case, dual InPol per channel). The best way to understand InPol in terms of performance is that it offers the delicacy and directness of SET with the control and damping of solid-state. Using a current multiplier effectively allows the tube to drive your speakers without traditional gain-stage amplification.
The pure class-A operation eliminates crossover distortion, and InPol technology increases the efficiency of this topology from 25% to 50%. That means far less heat than you'd get from a regular 100 W class A amp, but be warned, this amount of power still means a lot of heat.
The Setup
We ran across to the warehouse when we heard the Legacy had arrived and helped bring over the solid wood box it came in. Finding a stand for an amp this size is difficult, so we left it on the base with castors to help move and position the amp. We might soon have a dedicated stand from Pathos itself.
A legacy amp deserves legacy speakers, so we set the Pathos up in our main demo room with none other than Klipsch Khorns. What a sight. The impassive, commanding fronts of the Khorns contrasted perfectly with the Pathos' silver cooling fins, with that pop of color from the capacitors perfectly finishing off the look.
A system that Charlie, Keith, Ronnie, and Mick would thoroughly approve of, The Pathos Legacy integrated with Klipsch Klipschorn AK6 loudspeakers is more live sounding than any other system we've had in here.
The Sound
"It sounds like live music." That's the first thing we hear about the Pathos Legacy around the office. "Very lively," continues Brandon, our support tech with a home system comprising PrimaLuna, Tannoy, and REL. "This is the best amp I've heard on the Khorns, it really grips the drivers, and the bass is so tight."
"Bass grip" is something Ken, sales manager, also comments on, along with a "free flow" of sound. "Buttery, liquid, and very fluid, without losing dynamics and punch," he says. Coming back to the visual design, because that's important too, especially for an amp that will occupy so much floor space, Ken praises how it "captures the flavor of Italian automobiles" and that "it doesn't copy anything. It is unique without being ostentatious."
This sonic oxymoron of "buttery dynamics" is the heart of Pathos' magic and is what Kevin, Upscale's owner, describes as "a sense of grace."
All that talk of butter brings us to the food-and-drink brigade, a bunch of Upscale employees who invoke sonic comparisons such as "a regular steak versus a cut of A5 wagyu."
Joel, sales associate, says that the Legacy allows "the mighty Khorns to render beachball-sized Champagne bubbles that hang in the air with liquid delicacy and scale ... until they burst."
Chris, who owns Pathos in his personal system, says, "It's like the best crème brulée you've ever had," which, we must admit, brilliantly conveys this system's shattering dynamics combined with warm, rich texture.
This legacy should make Gaetano very proud.
Hear It!
This Pathos-Klipsch system will remain set up for a while, so call us now at 909-931-9686 and set up a demo appointment. We'll pack it up in a few weeks and take it down to T.H.E. Show, our local event and North America's longest-running hi-fi show.
Experience the Pathos Legacy integrated with Klipsch Klipschorn AK6 at T.H.E. Show at the Hilton Orange County Costa Mesa, June 9 to 11.
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Pathos InPol Legacy Integrated Amplifier |
Klipsch Klipschorn AK6 Loudspeaker |
Fender x MoFi PrecisionDeck Limited Edition Turntable Review with Kat
Bring the sunburst from the stage into your listening room. The Fender x MoFi PrecisionDeck Limited Edition features a plinth designed and manufactured by Fender. It is hand-painted in the exact process Fender uses for its iconic tri-color sunburst guitars before being sent to the Mobile Fidelity Electronics' Michigan factory.
This makes it an instant collector's item, especially since it's limited to only 1,000 individually numbered and metal-badged units.
In the video, Kat Ourlian, our analog manager, breaks down why this turntable is such a great piece of performance and art.
We're Open on Saturdays
The Upscale Audio store at 2058 Wright Avenue in La Verne is open on Saturdays from 9 to 5. We will be running with a smaller crew, and there are a couple of important things to note:
1) As with all other days, you'll need to call ahead and set up an appointment for a specific demo. If you decide to drop by, you won't be turned away, but your auditions will be limited to our headphone station and—only if the rooms are free—whatever systems we already have set up.
2) The warehouse will be closed, so if you need to pick up something, please call ahead, and we'll ensure we bring it over by Friday. If you buy something while you're here, it might be cheaper to ship it! After all, shipping is free above $49, and you'll save a little on La Verne city tax. Unless you live in La Verne...
Please call 909.931.9686 to make a demo appointment.