At SouthWest Audio Fest 2026, Pilot Radio's Barak Epstein talks about the company's tube-based legacy, its Pilot Preamplifier, and 232 stereo power amplifier in an interview with Ken Micallef that's now posted on our YouTube channel.
In the Pilot Radio room at SouthWest Audio Fest, I asked CEO Barak Epstein to cue up Donald Fagen's 1982 solo debut, The Nightfly—perhaps an unlikely first spin for gear with this kind of tube pedigree.
The Nightfly is a pristine recording, and it showed: all of its snap, clarity, and spatial layering was present and impactful. Still, I heard a touch of thinness.
Then it was time for The Beach Boys' 1966 masterpiece, Pet Sounds. The Pilot system unraveled The Beach Boys' harmonic stacks with dulcet separation—all individuated, and nothing smeared. The system also delivered a crystal-clear top end, and a forward momentum that made the record feel alive.
Tangerine Dream's 1981 Thief soundtrack album hit the room next with squeegee-clean layering, scale that practically scratched my back, and detail retrieval that let every synth pad breathe and expand.
Barak then swapped in the Benchmark DAC3 HGC DAC, and the drums fattened up considerably—dense, weighty, and as rich as hot fudge dripping over a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. The Pilot amps (the 232 is shown above) stayed dead quiet throughout, offering a black background that let transients surge through unmolested.
Equipment list: Turntable: Linn Majik LP12, fitted with Linn MC cartridge. DAC: Benchmark DAC3 HGC ($2399). Preamplifier: Pilot Preamplifier ($3590–$3890, depending on your choice of SUT). Stereo amplifier: Pilot 232 ($4790). Speakers: DeVore Fidelity 0/93 ($11,160/pair). Headphones: Yamaha YH-4000 ($2499). Cables: Prosper Cables 16AWG Jupiter Cotton and Lacquer speaker cables ($107/pair); Prosper Classic Line RCA patch ($90/pair); Prosper Core Line RCA patch ($110/pair); Prosper Cables Core Line XLR ($180/pair). Equipment rack: Butcher Block Rigid Rack 2 ($834).
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