I need Pathos Heritage feedback please

I am about to buy a Pathos Heritage but I can’t audition it.
I would love to hear from people with experience one them.
Tia

 

i only have a Pathos phono stage ...but i'm wondering if you mean a Pathos Inpol Heritage ? as that's the only thing i can find as a "heritage" or do you mean 'vintage' ...

 

Correct the integrated InPol Heritage.
How do you like your phono stage?

 

The Pathos Inpol Heritage integrated amp is among the best valve-based integrated amps in the world. Every part of the audible frequency spectrum is treated with great care, and distortion characteristics are as good as they get in any tube integrated amp. It has power and innate clarity. What I mean is that no matter what you’re playing - electronica, acoustic jazz, metal, acoustic folk, opera, chamber music, full classical orchestra, hard rock, blues, whatever - the Heritage delivers with tremendous authority every bit of what was recorded. All tube-based amplification and preamps look to their tubes for a unique imprint on output frequency response, and the Inpols are no different. That said, tube integrated amps don’t really get any better than the Heritage Inpol. There are plenty of other truly high-end models from makers besides Pathos, but they all tend to be slightly different from each other, not better than each other.

I’ve heard the Heritage Inpol over the past few years for dozens of hours, all told, at My Kind of Music in Toronto. The amp has brilliantly driven everything from Wilson Benesch Bishops to my own traded-in Harbeth P3ESR and everything in between. It’s a wonderful integrated amp by any measure.

Buying a valve-based integrated amp of the quality, construction, exterior form factor and considerable physical weight of the Inpol Heritage requires care, caution and an agreement with the seller that everything is in perfect condition. The original shipping crate is the only sane way to ship the Heritage Inpol or pick it up with your own vehicle. If you’re using your own vehicle, it better be an SUV with a large rear hatch because the exceedingly well-padded, wooden crate is quite large. The Heritage Inpol itself is standard width, but it is also quite tall and very deep. The externally side-mounted heat sinks are not to be messed with unless you’re wearing proper work gloves or you’re liable to cut your hands or wrists. And, it’s heavy and unwieldy so bring help.

If the seller does not have the original shipping crate, pass it up unfortunately.

 

Thanks. I am buying new, just torn between the Pathos and the Cary 805rs SET. I wish I could audition both of them

 

Agitater, are you a Pathos dealer?

 

I am not a dealer of any kind - audio, drugs, white van scams, etc. Not a dealer.

If you read my post, you should have noticed that it clearly states that I've repeatedly heard the Heritage Inpol at My Kind of Music, which is a long-standing high-end audio shop in Toronto. The owner is John Costanzo and he is most definitely a Pathos authorized dealer.

 

Plus, @Astolfo . . . if I had an Pathos Heritage Inpol, I would not sell it to you because it’s an end-game keeper piece of superiorosity and superbification that I would never part with.

It is a really great integrated amp.

I’m delighted with my current crop of integrated amps: Luxman LX590 AXII, Mark Levinson No. 5805, Yamaha A-S2100, Icon Audio ST40 MKIV Plus (on the shelf right now), Naim Supernait 2 + HiCap (on the shelf right now), etc. To add some perspective to my personal assessments of the Heritage Inpol, it has just as much appeal, power, current delivery, clarity, blah, blah, blah as the Luxman and Levinson, but does so with its proprietary valve and Inpol output circuitry as opposed to the non-valve proprietary output designs of the Luxman and the Levinson.

At this level of engineering, only features and functions and number of available inputs make any significant difference for most music-focused audiophiles. Of course each of the three (Pathos, Luxman, Levinson) sound somewhat different from each other, but each one sounds spectacular. For most audiophiles, the relative difference of one from the others will disappear after a week or two (often less) of regular listening. Frankly, IMO, optimizing speaker positioning and room listening position (in most listening rooms) creates a greater positive difference than any of the relatively small differences between these terrific integrated amps.

 

Which part of Aotearoa are you in? Would be great to hear it, if you buy it! Can bring wine, treats...

 

Thank you for your feedback. I read your post, but English is my 5th language so I missed that that was not your store. I ended buying a new one, and it will take about 3-4 months to get it. I agree with you on the speaker placement. it is fundamental.

 

I was in Auckland for over a year, helping your compadres to defend the cup, now back to Deba and Bainbridge island.

 

Thank you...I think the pathos inpol integrated may have just jumped to the top of my wish list

 

Sounds lovely. Enjoy your Pathos!

 

Isn’t “tube hybrid” a better description than “valve based”?

 

For sure. That is exactly what Pathos calls it.

 

Hi @Astolfo did you get the Inpol Heritage in the end?

What are your thoughts, if so?

Thank you

 

I have not and the dealer are not giving me much info on when I am going to get it. They told me that it shipped a month ago from Italy, but complete silence since then. Not even a response to my inquiries

 

This has been the norm of lots of shipments/ orders from Europe sense the pandemic. Dealer doesn’t know where its at in shipment…Hang in there.

 

I received mine this week:



First impressions are extremely positive. I did not realise how large this amplifier actually was. It's an absolute behemoth (56KG)...

It's an absolute joy to listen to. I did have to adjust the gain slightly to drive my Sonus Faber Sonetto III with sensible volume settings.

It's a very engaging listen. I only have an EAR V20 and Technics SU-R1000 to compare it to but so far it is in a different league.

 

Pathos (Inpol 2) owner here. You are going to enjoy this one. Have fun!

 

Well, well, well. That looks very nice. I heard the first InPol amp many years ago and enjoyed it. I imagine this is an order of magnitude better than that. Congratulations!

 

This pic is drool worthy. How is the amount of heat given off from this? This would be an end game amp for me, but I’m leery of living with an amp like this that cooks my room every time I use it.

 

It's not too bad but we are in the middle of winter here in the UK (2° - 5°).

I can't imagine it being too much of an issue in the Summer. Those heat syncs really do a good job of dissipating the heat and the amplifier hasn't been alarmingly hot to the touch since I've used it.

 

The Heritage is a furnace period, as a matter of fact I seen it get in survival mode at the dealer 2 times. A class A amp is extremely inefficient, so the Class A part of the Pathos Heritage will roast some potatoes in the summer.
But you will love it

 

Well...
I don't know how many of us had the chance to hear this Pathos amplifier.

obviously for us in Italy it is relatively easy. I am also lucky enough to have few but EXCELLENT HiFi dealers within about fifty km ... coincidentally, one of these dealers with both the Pathos and Pegaso brands ....
that this Unipol was one of the best amps ... well, it was well known, but "the best ever" ... mmmh, it leaves me a little perplexed.
Actually comparing my Pegaso with this Pathos ....
I preferred the full valve rather than the hybrid.
I had the Musical Fidelity Nu Vista M3, you know, excellent hybrid, which, however, it seems strange, perhaps, was slightly pungent in the high frequencies.

The Pathos ... OK, it has a different technology, certainly much better than the Nu Vista, but in two parameters, (attention: for MY tastes, and for MY system)

slightly lower than the Pegaso: the low range, perhaps for the KT90s? it is firmer, and goes down a little more.

similar midrange, but ...
THIS! in the high range, the higher frequencies undoubtedly better with the Pegaso.
this opinion was also shared by the seller. Attention, I repeat: with my speakers, room, cables. the Pathos, however wonderful, is and remains a hybrid ... and with all strengths and weaknesses of this technology, it succumbs to the "only valve" of quality.
Anyway ... the cost of this Pahos and Pegaso is similar, the full valve costs something less, but at these levels it is not what can make the difference, as the 5 Watts less do not do it (Pathos 45, Pegaso 50W. )

certainly, ... on aesthetic levels, this Pathos, in my opinion, seems unbeatable ...

My new Amplifier... I'm so happy...