Pathos Logos Mk II Hybrid Integrated Amplifier w/ Upscale Audio's Kevin Deal

[@mmdusa]

I love it when Kevin does a deep dive and explains the inner workings of the equipment he is so passionate about. You are absolutely right sir. They never tell us what makes their products so good or how they justify such enormous prices. Thankfully, we have Kevin to show us and explain the good from the lesser quality. Pathos is incredible stuff. Wish I lived nearby. I would always go to Kevin to help me get the best for my money.

[@jeffsloane8628]

So glad we still have folks like Kevin in this industry/hobby.

[@estebanmedaglia4506]

Pretty obvious the other amp is a McIntosh 252. 😀 Love Pathos! Nothing looks like them. But I also own an MA8900. Always wanted a Logos. Maybe one day. Would look great next to Sonus Faber speakers. Nothing compares to Italian brands.

[@enniol8043]

Are you happy with your MA8900? He is not a McIntosh guy at all.

[@zemansk7888]

This is the best video by upscale audio so far. Informative and entertaining. Keep it up!👌

[@bshah4831]

The Giulia QV is amazing and it is an experience!

[@koplerroi]

I have the logos mk2. Bought it 4 month ago. My logos capacitor’s are Black. What do you know about it? The not made in Italy for sure The company is Epcos

[@Philear4124]

Unison Research makes also such a remote control in wood, also Italien

[@michaeljones19731]

They hit the Ball outta the park with the Guilio & the Pathos by the looks of things. Thanks for the upload. 😊

[@ironpark4042]

AND BALANCE IN FOR HI-END WOOOOOOOW BEST AMPLIFIER EVER

[@Simplyveej]

How do they compare with the Prima Luna evo 400?

[@fekristeinmusic5027]

I like big capacitors, But separated bridge rectifier circuit and Vacuum Tube compound with MOSFETs. it great thing

[@neilaltschuler6064]

The Italians are pretty good at painting ceilings too. Lol

[@davidstein9129]

I have a bunch of CD tracks I want to hear on this stereo system we've put together,) but looks like you won't have time to hear all of them to their competition. lol

[@jonathanvanier]

"I'm not gonna name the other brand because it's not about them... But they have little green LEDs underneath their tubes." Points for not 'naming' them, I guess 😂

[@DR-lc9qg]

I used to own a first version Logos, beautiful amplifier and everything Kevin says about the new one matches what I found with it. However tonally it could be a bit too warm and slow and really needed matched with speakers that were a little bit lighter of touch, so fast slightly lean, less full sounding speakers worked well with it. The sweet spot in Pathos range at that time (mid 2000s) was the classic One mk 2 which did everything the Logos did, but it was much faster, more open and detailed, and if you needed more power you could turn it into a mono integrated by flicking a switch under the amplifier, so 75 watts stereo became 135 watts mono. Two Classic Ones sounded incredible. All these years on I still own Classic One mk2s which at the time Sam Tellig of Stereophile rightly called out as a stone cold bargain. I moved my Logos on in favour of a Classic One mk2, though ultimately I ended up using a Balanced Audio Technology VK300 SE integrated amplifier. The TT Reference also by Pathos is stunning, but should be used with very easy to drive, high efficiency speakers. Treat it like a low powered single ended tube amp and its magical, never mind being stunning to look at, as is the Classic One, and all of Pathos designs. Always regretted not getting one. When I worked in audio retailing I once sold a Classic One to a customer. She came in on a Saturday morning waled around the store and stopped at where the Classic One was. She asked what it is, and asked to buy it. I asked her was it for a system she owned, and the answer was no, she just loved the look of it and wanted it simply as a beautiful object. I persuaded her to buy a CD player and speakers and cabling so she could use it for what it was designed. Though for all I know she never used it as such, but as modern art. According to the then UK distributor, UKD, I personally sold the most Classic Ones in the UK. Being honest they sold themselves, beautiful to look at, and beautiful to listen to. Wish you all the best with Pathos Kevin.

[@kevind2760]

Version 1 was warmer, but most of that was the stock tubes. This amp is NOT slow in any way, shape or form. It's BAD ASS. All the bandwidth in the world. We can do level-matched A/B comparisons in the store.

[@borlach321]

I own a Bianchi mountain bike. I love Italian gear!!

[@GeoffParsons1469]

Hey Kevin, if your shop was close to where I live I would be broke in around 2 and a half minutes...

[@phnelson033]

Time for a Colnago C64 equipped with a full Campagnolo Super Record groupset.

[@epi2045]

budhalen A ha! A cyclist-phile.

[@upscaleaudio]

budhalen, you may (or may not) be surprised how many audiophiles are cyclists and vice versa. Our resident cyclist-phile is partial to De Rosa for Italian.

[@epi2045]

@@upscaleaudio My brother is all about the Colnago's. Myself, I've been riding a custom Calfee Tetra hand made in San Francisco - one of the first carbon bikes at the Tour de France 25 years ago ridden by Lemond. But of course with Italian Campagnolo gruppos. Sorry... it's an audio thread. LOL. PS. I LOVE YOUR CHANNEL. Saving up for a Prima Luna.

[@peace-yv4qd]

I like heft when I consider an amp, cd player or any other component. It's like buying a cold weather jacket. I prefer puffy as opposed to something that claims to keep you warm but has no bulk and weighs less than an ounce.

[@peace-yv4qd]

I have a pair of Sonus Faber Venere S speakers. Kind of curious if this amp would compliment them. An all Italian system. Hmm.

[@Philear4124]

Which Italian producer also makes beautiful remote controls? Audio Analogue

[@evensung]

All that talk about caps and wiring, yet the pathos has to go up to 0.2% THD within its specified range. I'd take the 252, it's even almost 50% cheaper.

[@eug3nius]

That's a choice. Hifi has been through the THD wars before when solid state came around, now we're in the class D THD wars. This too shall pass.

[@yippie6862]

Pathos Logos 2 costs $1500 more than the other amp does, a McIntosh MA252. It's worth the extra money because you do get more, but I just wanted to point that out. Looking at the Pathos awesome build quality and parts it looks like good value.

[@emdaudio]

Error, the retail price of the MA252 is $4,500 and the Logos MK2 is $5,000, the difference that Kevin said is correct.

[@yippie6862]

@@emdaudio At the time of writing the above comment 4 years ago those were the correct prices. Now the MA252 is $4500 and the Logos MK2 is $5195. I'm not sure what you meant by "the difference that Kevin said is correct"?

[@motobikerrob4466]

Great video Kevin - very helpful! Did you have a chance to review / compare Pathos HiDac MK2 board against similarly priced external DACs? I have a NAD C568 and Node 2i sources and I'm wondering whether I will get any improvement ordering this board and switching them to work as pure transports. Thanks!

[@peterhu5777]

I cannot believe what I am hearing! Attack on an audio guy? Tube and Solid State? How crazy is this world?

[@jondonnelly4831]

There is quite a difference in the cost of both amps, it's more then he says, maybe its regional or just out of date in any case its more like 1000 dollars of difference minimum.

[@rickym.5271]

BOOM!!!

[@carlsnyder1449]

Excelente

[@user-jk5vs9jg2g]

GOOD EVENING. Perhaps you managed to listen to such a well-known hybrid amplifier Pathos Logos MK2. How is he against 150 Unison cutting ?? What is better for you and why .. What plays more energetic and rhythmic ?? My acoustics OPERA SECOND CE

[@DriverDude100]

To the uninitiated, be careful poking around capacitors this big. They hold a charge (that's what capacitors do), and depending on the circuitry, you could get shocked even if the amplifier is turned off.

[@hushpuppykl]

OzoneEditions ... how true! 😂🤣

[@theDevilsvoice]

What they said! Unless you want to get knocked on ur ass and let's be honest it doesn't take much to stop a heart....

[@noahh3782]

You had me until you started putting down SMT vs. Through Hole construction discussion... With 20 years of making some of the most technologically advanced PCBs SMT components now days are far more efficient and effective than through hole.

[@kevind2760]

Of course that is 100% true. Faster to manufacture in an automated fashion. But if the chip fails you may need to replace a board.

[@hushpuppykl]

But the Pathos does not have point to point wiring. Without that an amp is not that good right? The Pathos has got PCB board. Does the Pathos use tube rectifiers? Kevin says only way a rectifier can work good is to use tubes. Kevin once knocked hybrids. He said the only way for a tube amp is to go with a tube power stage. 😂🤣 But seriously, Pathos builds great looking amps that sounds good. My Audia Flight has a 2KVA transformer and a total of 288k of caps. It weighs in at 75 lbs.

[@kevind2760]

You don't want tube rectification in a power amp or integrated amp due to voltage sag. Preamps? YES. In a preamp tube rectification is the Gold Standard.

[@hushpuppykl]

Kevin Deal ... am just yanking your chain. I love how you sell stuff.

[@williamsdavid5243]

To be honest I wouldn’t recommend Pathos then amplifiers are prone to going wrong mines been repaired three times & still not right . Because they run so hot a lot of the Soldered joints actually come undone because they’re not silver soldered

[@MsCorbacho]

how would you compare this Logod mk2 with the classic one mk3 , or in fact two of them,,,,,,,... because the classic one mk3 bridged is supposed (like you said also) very good indeed. Is it a case of classic one plus more volume and loudness capability , bit more full and more bass ? or , is it really superior in a whole musical kind of way , more balanced and complete ???

[@Waitaminutesilly]

BEst hifi product review on KZbin! Is it okay to leave the unit on for weeks? Won't tubes wear out?

[@nienienje700]

A lot of colour but no precision in the sound

[@moonlight-kh6uz]

What about Inpol Heritage ?

[@johanstam4188]

Kevin, who's the creepy guy projected on the digital input board top left beside the speaker output wires at 4:12 into the video? Is this a prank by your video editor ? Thanks for the look under the hood, am considering a Pathos Logos to power my Diapason Astera's, yet more Italian goodness!

[@kevind2760]

Ha! Good eye! Yes it's Fabio. My video guy has a great sense of humor.

[@epi2045]

God I hate LEDs under tubes. Why!!!!!!!??????

[@audiolover5344]

McIntosh MC275

[@ironpark4042]

BRIDGE SNAP??? NO PINS AND ATMEL CONTROOOOOLER DIGITAL IN IN HI-END WOOOOOOOOOOOW .

[@unfinishedbusiness12]

What about a ethos

[@LordVictorHalgaard]

Just wondering how it compares to the hypex based amps like NAD Master series, when it comes to detail resolution and precision.

[@MyIDIsNotAvailable]

Haha.. Mcintosh with their cheap green lights and everything inside. Sad how some legends fall. I have a friend who services hi end audio and he told me not to touch this stuff.

[@eug3nius]

Hey Kevin, give those big caps some tongue to make sure they're fully discharged! :)

[@oliverbeard7912]

Looks pretty.Good current delivery too.How much does it cost?

[@upscaleaudio]

It's $4,595--the link to the product page is in the video description.

[@ironpark4042]

3A CAPACITORS FOR ONE WATT AMPLIFIER SO 100.0000000000000000000000 FOR HI-END

[@leegoodwin3466]

How many have you had returned when the chrome finish falls off the front knob Kevin? Or when the cheep veneer falls off? Absolute garbage

[@net_news]

Alfas are incredible cars and the Giulia is one of the best cars ever created... don't know why in America (almost) nobody gives a shit about them, there's a world beyond boring BMWs.

[@clarenceboggs2406]

NETnews , it’s called reliability and they don’t have it!

[@net_news]

@@clarenceboggs2406 that's a thing of the past, nowadays, Alfas have the same reliability as their german counterparts.

[@leemartin2978]

I’m not convinced about the reliability, and the depreciation is horrendous. Beautiful looking I agree though

[@scottyo64]

Reliability and dealer network is what kept me away.

[@enniol8043]

@@net_news Own a BMW for more than 4 years and you will see that reliability does not exist. It's a money pit. The German cars also over charge you for features in order to get higher margins - not worth it and then with all this tech and know how they are already late to the electric vehicle market.

[@iankemp73]

What no Audio Analogue.

[@hushpuppykl]

ian kemp ... they are beautifully manufactured amps. I love the Puccini Anniversary.

[@hoselrocket2001]

Ever wonder why you rarely see a hybrid integrated amp listed under Stereophile's Class A Recommended components? The most recent one that comes to mind is the Rogue Audio Sphinx V2 and it retails for under $1,500. So how much of the price multiple for the Pathos goes into it's eye candy factor? Let's face it, it's marketing to the same people who like green LEDs under their tubes.

[@kevind2760]

I might point out that Stereophile's Herb Reichert gave the Sphinx a good review, but if you look at his speaker reviews he doesn't CONTINUE to use it. He uses a $2199 PrimaLuna most of the time. If a big power transformer, massive capacitors, big-beefy cables going to heavy-duty PCB's is eye candy .... yes the Pathos has got it. I'm into reality. Parts and engineering. The Logos MKII kicks ass on both accounts.

[@hoselrocket2001]

Kevin Deal and I’m into sound that nurtures your soul. Parts and engineering certainly are part of the story but that doesn’t necessarily equate to sonic bliss. If it did, anyone could assemble awesome equipment because it would become a check the box exercise and the art of voicing would be removed.

[@moonlight-kh6uz]

@@kevind2760 Have you ever heard Tulip hybrid?

[@kevind2760]

@@hoselrocket2001 I think most people want sound that nurtures their soul. There are many expensive complicated products that I think are soulless. What's worse is empty boxes with a high price tags, hence my videos. I'd rather have a $2400 PrimaLuna over a stack of solid state Krell or Pass Labs personally. I like tubes. This company is the only one that makes tube hybrid integrateds right based on a lot of experience. And they give you more. The video is to show people how and why it's worth the money.

[@kevind2760]

@@moonlight-kh6uz Nope.

[@carmenandthedevil2804]

Double blind Tests? Hmm, your obviously not emotional. Even though you go on as if you are.

[@keithb6717]

He's hard to listen to.