I would not be fearful of buying used. Unless I know the person personalty I don't believe how new the tubes are. I just assume that the tubes need to be replaced and factor that in. I have never had a problem and have bought everything used. I usually check my dealer to see if he has what I am looking for. He may know of a used piece coming in.
In general I prefer used over demo for tube electronics. A dealer leaves demo pieces on all day so they are ready when a customer comes in. They usually have a lot more hours than a used piece.
The Aesthetix Calypso Signature is very good but it is not as good as the Ref 5se. I know someone who has had both. He sold the Aesthetix to buy the Ref 5se. He now has a Ref 6. One of the things I like about the Ref series pieces is they have tubes in the power supply. I think this makes a noticeable difference in the sound. But in the end it all depends on what sounds best to you in your systen.
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