What I meant was,will I need any additional break in? Or will my ears need to be burned in? Lol!
Aric Audio Systems Unlimited Preamp
They have a tube model called Unlimited that appears to be a decent value for < $800. It is tube rectified and with pair of tube voltage regulators and 12AX7 driver tubes. It even has a phono stage. Anyone is familiar with this preamp?
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I'm with kalali. Mine is now a little over three years old and I can't determine which is the most important piece of equipment, within the system, to the overall sound: it, or the Special SE that it supports. They are both incredible. I do run select NOS tubes in both, but other than that, it all comes from the Aric Audio Bench. It's a nice road to travel. |
I just pulled the trigger on an Unlimited pre in cobalt blue from Aric. I have one of his earlier pre's,its roughly the 3.5? maybe. I picked it up on the used market a couple of years ago. Great sounding unit,with a very lush,3D sound. Plenty of gain when I match my Nola Boxer 2's with my First Watt F5. The main reason for the upgrade was the addition of the useable second pair of outputs. He is great to deal with,and responds very quick to any inquiries. He notified me that it should be built inside of two weeks. I am very much looking forward to getting this in my system. Updates to follow. |
@rich121 - I'll be sure to forward your message over to @laaudionut and additionally, the link to The Motherlode is below for reference: http://aricaudio.com/products.php?product=ML6SL7MM If you have any questions regarding the build specifics- feel free to post them here or use the Contact Us link at my website: http://aricaudio.com/contact.php Best regards, Aric |
Hey laaudionut! Thanks for the excellent update! I'm glad those high end parts loosened up and settled in nicely! I'm still looking forward to pulling off some high end build for my own personal vessel using those Duelunds which are the best capacitors I've ever come across! New RND at the shop has been a luxury version of the PP amp mentioned below, and next- either a KT150 PSE, or a PP 300B, so many projects.....so little time ;-) Aric |
Aric, I just wanted to follow up on my last contribution to this particular forum by saying this: The Motherlode is completely broken and is in full bloom. Without the use of hyperbole and audio superlatives, I would happily pay triple the price of what I paid originally! ! It is a true sonic masterpiece! |
I just wanted to share a link to the new "Transcend Push Pull" Stereo Amplifier posted up on my website this evening: http://aricaudio.com/products.php?product=TRANPP88 Aric |
First, I wanted to say thank you to laaudionut for the kind words and review! Also, for any following this thread, a head's up that the Transcend Push-Pull will be added to the website later next week. The proto-type has been a success and is providing that midrange "meat on the bones" we all love about a SET, and with lots of power and headroom to boot. I received the first order this week and the unit will be getting shipped with JJ Blue Glass KT88's and Tung Sol 6SN7's. Options will be on the amplifier for Triode/Ultra-Linear mode and variable negative feedback. Best wishes, Aric |
I just happened to stumble upon this thread and thought I would add some color to it, as I am the extremely proud and excited owner of The Motherlode that has been mentioned to date. I originally discovered Aric and Aric Audio on the Tekton Double Impact thread and have posted a few times about Aric and The Motherlode specifically, so in the interest of efficiency, I have copied one of most recent posts. During the last couple of weeks as I have been thoroughly enjoying the break-in process of Aric Audio’s, The Motherlode, I have had many private inquiries about the piece. I have tried to reply to all of them, but in the interest of efficiency, I have cut and paste my latest response. Now again, I am far from a reviewer, so you will have to excuse my lack of use of audio superlatives. First and foremost, Aric is fantastic to work with! He could have easily said, "look, I have several preamps in my lineup to select from that I know punch well above their weight", but he didn’t. He was happy to work with me and take his background and knowledge in what works and apply that, coupled with a grade of components that AG member, grannyring had suggested that would rival that of The Dude. I have never even heard The Dude, but I knew that my Pass preamp was not doing it for me. So I have a bout 150 hours on the tubes, Dueland and Jupiter caps, and it sounds nothing short of amazing! Big, expressive, detailed yet rich, huge 3 dimensional soundstage with great separation between instruments, dead silent in all line levels and phono stage. It is by far the best preamp that I have had in my system and listening room, and I have had and borrowed a lot of high end, expensive gear...it just sounds Natural and LIVE! Here is what I would say that best describes my thoughts on what I am hearing from this piece to date(and it is not even close to being broken in yet), if this piece had a $15K price tag on it, I would consider it an audio bargain... And I only paid $4800! I am not a paid spokesperson for Aric Audio, but what he is putting out in terms of tube gear, should have the likes of Audio Research, Ayre, Atma-sphere, and the like, rethinking their approach to the business. I will never again buy from a mass produced company...in fact, Aric is very likely to see more of my audio investment funds in the near future! Cheers and Happy Listening! Brian |
Just another follow up: This "less is more" circuit is what I believe if giving me the magic I'm hearing with this new PP design. There are only two coupling capacitors per channel in the entire amplifier- which greatly lessens the chances of "phase" issues in each stage. It also ensures the balance between output tubes will be tighter and they'll operate more cohesively. It's generally thought that Push Pull sound too "clean" or too close to solid state, but that is definitely not the case here. There will be two models listed- the "Transcend" version (which will use very reliable, and excellent "bang for the buck" components), and the "Special" version, which will be a no holds barred version using an exclusive film capacitor power supply, "True Copper" coupling capacitors- and many other upgrades! Stay tuned. |
Just an update. Further testing of the new push-pull amplifier using some pretty inexpensive Electro-Harmonix KT-88's has been very positive! This new circuit is producing the best of both worlds- the smooth, cohesive realism of a single-ended, and the additional power and "slam factor" of a push pull. Less is more in this design, and I'll be working on the second draft of the prototype next week. Aric |
While the Transcend and Special SE's have enough guts to drive most speakers (even my older 89 db 1W efficient speakers), I'm still thinking that careful design of a single-chassis push-pull amp that has less to the signal path can be the answer to lower sensitivity speakers. I'm working out a couple of proto-types currently, and so far- the results are very good! I've got a set of KT88's being driven from a LTP 6SN7 with a single 6SN7 gain stage in front of it. Listening has been on-going for about 10 hours now and I'm so far not wanting to change a thing! Best, Aric |
Thanks! As far as relay-activated- that wouldn't be prudent to the design as it goes against the "completely hand-wired" and no solid state components in the signal path. Generally a relay is "PCB architecture". This has a manual switch, and the volume control is manual as well. A digital preamp, I could see a relay input selector on. |
Great review. Sounds like an awesome piece of audio gear. Regarding the Motherlode preamp, given its “cost no object” design premise, my only suggestion is if a more sophisticated source selector option could be explored. I don’t know how much it may add to the cost or the design complexity but something like a relay actuated input selector would definitely make this preamp a world class contender. |
A review of my Transcend KT88/120 amplifier just went up on Home Theater Review today. https://hometheaterreview.com/aricaudio-transcend-series-kt-120-se-stereo-amplifier-reviewed/ |
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As several A'goners have requested, here is a link to the The Motherlode preamplifier built for Laaudionut: http://aricaudio.com/products.php?product=ML6SL7MM Aric |
I have been looking at the pics and this is the way a great preamp should be built. Very well done! The design, layout, and build quality are all impeccable. I see my personal favorite - Jupiter copper foil caps. I now use these in all my builds and mods. I love them! Bypass with a .01uf Duelund silver foil and you’re in heaven. Your attention to detail and build skills are first rate. Exciting to see a preamp like this is still being built. No circuit boards, beefy Pi filter with quality chokes and Clarity TC caps. Many power amps don’t have power supplies as good as this! The power supply is the key to great sound. Very exciting to see this beauty! |
I'm not sure if you all have or use Facebook at all, but it's the only website I could find to post some quick pics of it. Eventually I'll have it up on my own site, but in the meantime, here's a sneak peak (well not too sneak I suppose) of the Motherlode pics, and pics of the power supply and preamp internals as well: https://www.facebook.com/AricAudioSystems/posts/1769537846429578 Best, Aric |
That sounds like a wonderful piece of audiophile gear. Love to hear more about the specs. Knowing Aric's attention to details and his choice of excellent components, I have no doubt it'll be a great success. Even his lower end Unlimited preamplifier that I have is excellent and sounds better and better the more I use it. |
Based on the pics of the Motherlode I've seen its a beauty. I don't know enough about the workings of all those impressive looking capacitors and such inside of the units to really appreciate what Aric has created here, but if it sounds better than the linestage he built for me ( and I'm sure it does ) this will be one sweet preamp. Can't wait to hear laaudionut's impressions of it. |
@grannyring much respect to "The Dude" and thank you for the insight on it’s uniqueness! In terms of similarities the ML has the breaker power switch, an exclusively film capacitor power supply and robust storage + PI filter stages. I’ve also employed SS rectification using dual series UF diodes per leg with snubbers across them in a full wave bridge, and perhaps a difference (not knowing the Dude architecture myself), is a large 5H choke after the first filter cap stage for smoothing. This uses a more conventional Mu-Follower stage with a 6SL7 as the amplification. TKD volume potentiometers, and Duelunds on the outputs (Jupiter PIO’s are used in the phono stage section). It’s fairly straightforward but does use a pair of OC3 regulators snubbed with small film capacitors to drop the excessive voltage at the tail end of the B+ before it hits the plate resistors. While there are many differences I’m sure, and this is not out to "clone" the design, I would more respectfully say this pays homage to The Dude in it’s basic structure. Best regards, Aric |
The magic of the Dude is in several design areas that make it unique. The 3 tube regulated power supply is a gem and to this day nobody has figured out how Paul the designer did it. Paul was an absolutely brilliant designer and while some aspects of his Dude preamp can be “copied” this is one that has not to date. The way he used the 6sn7 tube is also unique and unconventional. He did not follow the established designs and conventional wisdom in books etc... He utilized the tube in unique ways that many would quickly dismiss as “wrong”. This is also unique to the Dude to date. Things like a robust Pi filter, circuit breaker instead of fuse, SS rectification, hand build Shallco silver contact stepped attenuator, and Duelund output caps can be matched. We miss Paul and TRL gear. I like the fact that we are respecting his work by mentioning the Dude in this thread. |
Initial testing of The Motherlode preamplifier is complete! This unit was designed to fill the niche left by "The Dude" (which was a high end 6SN7 based preamp using all film capacitors and tube regulation in the power supply). This is a "no hold barred" design that was spawned between A'goner laaudionut and myself over the course of the last couple of months. He originally wanted to purchase a "Dude" only to find the owner/designer had regretfully passed away and the use market was becoming scarce for this gem. Flash forward to today, and I believe I have a unit that will compete on all levels AND includes a full tube phono stage as well. This is on my own personal "Got to have it" list as of today! |
Thanks guys! I believe being able to optimize the whole system together is like matching the engine to the transmission. I've got a larger set named "Animus" that's in the works now featuring a quad array of midranges flanking a ribbon tweeter. The low end will be handled by a high efficiency 12" driver. Two more amplifiers are in the works as well. Aric |
Speakers you say! I think I may have the first set, but Mr. Kimball designs and builds a killer speaker called the Dynalto. Floorstanding 3-way and the crossover work is enough to make you a believer -- but that's only where it starts. Full range (meaning full range) with a ribbon tweeter that defies much in its presentation because it melds with the mid in such a way that it sounds like one, not two drivers. I couldn't be happier. The fit and finish is what I've come to understand Aric Audio to be about, as is the sensation of being blown away. |
After having spent the last couple of months with Aric's linestage and 300B SET I couldn't be happier. My system sounds better than I ever thought possible. Tone, speed, dynamics, imaging, soundstaging......it's all there in spades. Superlatives don't do Aric's products and customer service justice. As content as I am with my system working with Aric is such a pleasure I find myself wishing I had another build for him. Maybe some speakers next! |
I've gone back to the Limitless on the site in lieu of the Transcend unit, as the majority of inquiries I had were looking primarily for a line stage (where the previous Transcend unit had a full tubes phono stage which added substantially to the cost). The Limitless has a competent solid state phono stage that's fed into the main tube line stage, so it fits the general needs of my clients better. If anyone wants a full tubed phono- that will be offered as a standalone unit.
@fusionout - Thanks for the kind words! If you have your eyes on the Enigmatic push/pull amps, send me a message and I can work with you on price since you're a 2 time repeat customer. Those amps are literal powerhouses, with the functionality of turning it into several different amps via the flip of a switch and swapping tubes and they can drive any speaker out there! Best, Aric |
Rereading my own earlier comments about upgrades, I just want to add that my intent was not to advocate folks jumping in and start taking things apart and doing their own mods. There are significant voltages in play and mistakes can have some serious consequences. If have never done this sort of work before, you should not take any chances and just send the piece back to Aric and have him do it the right way. |
It's great to see some exposure for Aric Audio. I have a number of pieces from his shop and without exception over the course of a year they have "seasoned each other" in a way that has enriched the overall presentation. During the process I often asked for and always followed Aric's recommendations which were never by the way offered up unsolicited. My experience with Aric Audio has been very thorough in terms of putting two systems together, both of which are remarkable, affordable, and continue to sound better as time passes. I recognized early on that dollar for dollar I was getting a tremendous value which held true for each piece and allowed me the synergies of components designed and crafted by the same individual on the same bench, being combined and performing as a single voice. I've been an advocate of that kind of thing for decades and once again I am enjoying watching it unfold. |
If you're a little handy with a soldering gun and can pay attention to details, you can do most of the upgrades yourself. I replaced the stock capacitors in my Unlimited with the top line Audyn just recently and I'm very impressed with the results. The best part was Aric himself actually told me exactly what to use. Same with tube selections. He's truly a class act guy and a passionate audiophile and I'm so glad to see he's getting a lot of business from the folks here. |
I am so glad to hear you guys speak of Aric audio. I have the Limitless preamp and i love it. I noticed that it is no longer on his website, I think it was replaced with the Transcend series preamp. I am thinking about looking into getting my Limitless upgraded to the Transcend series. I started out with the Unlimited and i love it so much that i had it upgraded to the Limitless. I have my eye on his new mono blocks. |
