Audible Illusions Modulus 3 Audio Research SP-11

@ Mofimadness: Did the Audio Research really sound so much better? or was it just becouse Audible Illusions had bad service?

You could get the same quality with fimilar sound for much less!
The price tag does not qualify its quality!

It eats tubes?

Normally tubes in preamps are uncrictical? How often you did them raplce?

That is an interessting answer.

According to some reviews it is also said that the Modulus 3 adds more detail is more transparent and adds backround information in the music by pushing it to the foreground which is bascially what I am looking for.

I am not sure if I can be wrong with it.

It seems to me that nobody can describe the sound or make any direct suggestions.

I have heard the SP-11, SP-10 and Sp-15 as wel, but it seems that some folks still say that

the Modulus 3 has

- a quieter background
- better details
- better focus background info is pressed to the foreground( that was basically what I was looking for)
- no bubbled edges
- Tubey in terms of depth, but not warmth

Can anyone make some statments about the sound how he or she thinks about this after having had a comparrision with those units.

That is right. I never got a response from Audible Illusions either. Audio Research did also sometiemes ignore my mails.

Well, I have a goot technican with 40 years of experiences that services anything, so even the manufactor doesn't respond I usually do not consider it a problem for me.

@ Frogman!

The point is that I have alread heard a Counterpoint SA-5 and it was far beyond anything Audio Research ever did. The warmth, the depth, the beauty of the sounstage and no bubbled edges even with the most difficuilt recording material.

Yes, there is a price reason for going with the A.I. But as what I have heard peeopl are not really missing much compared to the SP-11.

@ Mofimadness I get confused with the numbers so easily. Yeah one is a Special Edition imported form Japan. I consider it to me as an MK3. Altough an MK3 never exists.

Yes, I own four of them and I have already heard them bypassed on an Inifnity IRS MK5 from my friend Serial: 059 and on an Infinity IRS Beta ........

... and I no longer can't.

I have a small system and was looking for an affordable piece close to the top of AR.

I had a chance to compare both after hours ( more than 6) of warming up time and my hearing says to go with the Modulus 3!
Reason: The Sp-11 has an airy delacy on the top end, but the Modulus 3 is more spacious and liquid and certainly a little more transparent. I assume this is also due to the use of stpped attnuators instead of Alps potentiometers.

So, hope you all are well out there!

Yup, even the price for the SP-11 is not the issue the availability of the orginal Fets has essentially dried up. Replacement and matching parts come from middle east and their supply is weak and not to mention the parts don’t last as long as the orginal ones.
Audio Research is not planning to upgrade and provide us with new Fets. Whats a shame!

I have heard a SP-15 in Italy and yeah it is amazing, but those high voltage Fets are no longer available as well. I would say it is a delicay more crisp at the top end, however if you have an Infinity RS Kappa or IRS model you will also like the lquid and transparency of the Audible Illusions giving the Emits, Emims or the L-Emims more space. I found that recapping does also some tricks to get the crispy detail out that you may be missing. Filters against HF in the PS and bypassing main caps will also give you more transparency.
I would say due to the cicutry of the SP-11 or SP-15 crtical listening should be done after hours of warm up. I let my borrowed SP-11 warm up around 5 - 6 hours in the morning and got to the listening session in the atfernoon.
I will go for another Modulus 3 soon.