CJ PV14 or Audible Illusions Modulus 3A?

plenty of info in the forums regarding the AI

CJ all day long.   

The 14 is an excellent preamp. Good choice if you can buy it right.  I had a buddy with an early AI ....  nightmare getting it back from repair.  Like others have said , read up on Audible Illusions.   Sounds great. Service is slooowwwww

I posted this earlier on another thread:

I want to warn people about doing business with Audible Illusions. I initiated a trade in on July 17, 2021. I made the final payment for the new unit on August 16, 2021 when Art told me that the new preamp would “ship by the end of the week.”

It did not ship by the end of the week. Nor did it ship by the end of that month. I spoke to Art in the first week of every month since then and he kept telling me that it would “ship by the end of the month.”

It’s now January, 2022 and I still don’t have the unit. I told Art that I’ve decided I don’t want to deal with him anymore and that I want a refund. He refused to give me a refund and told me that he doesn’t have any money to refund. He called me back about 20 min later and pleaded with me to take the new unit which he said he’ll “ship by the end of the month.” I told him please not to send the unit (I don’t believe his promises anymore anyway) because I just want my money back at this point. He said during this second phone conversation that he’d do his best to refund my money “by the end of the month.”

There are many companies out there. Please think twice about working with Audible Illusions. I have been mislead pretty much from the word go.

In the interest of being fair I will post if and when I get a refund.

^Same old song, sung by many, for a long time.

Sketchey.......  no money to refund?   Sounds like they are on the brink of bankruptcy....   Do a charge back on your CC and force his hand.

Oddiofyl, that sounds like a good idea but … look into the time limits your credit card may have with regard to filing a dispute.

I didn’t know either.

I said I would post if Audible Illusions issued a refund. Well, here I am. I was happily surprised with a receipt for a full refund this morning. What a relief.

I just purchased a used AI M3a here and it sounds phenomenal.  I took the chance well aware of the problems everyone has with Art.  Such a bummer.  I saw somewhere that Ben Jacoby out of NYC does upgrades and repairs.  I think I will go that route if I have a problem.  But damn does this preamp sound beautiful.

I purchased an Audible Illusions (don't remember the model) and then a 3A (gave the first to my brother) from Audio Connections. Cannot recommend Johnny highly enough. No problem with either unit--haven't even had to replace tubes. You are probably safe to purchase a unit if you get it from a dealer who has it in stock. Great sounding preamp (I have the MM phono section). Only issue is high gain.

still have a 3A with the JC MC board and will never part with it. Gets everything fundamental so right..

still have a 3A with the JC MC board and will never part with it. Gets everything fundamental so right..

and reliable