Aric Audio Systems Unlimited Preamp

I came I came across Aric Audio on the Tekton Double Impact thread. I’ve been researching an audio upgrade for quite awhile and I started with the Double Impacts with upgrades. A few weeks ago I pulled the trigger on Arics Motherload. I took delivery Friday before last and I could not be happier. I’m not a reviewer but I wanted to give a shout out on this wonderful pre.  The first song I played was from David Grier’s Evocative album. He’s a great flat picker from right here in Nashville. The very first thing I noticed was a dramatic increase in in overtones, decay and dynamics. These are attributes the DI’s are known for but it took the Mother Load to bring it out of them. The sound is crystal clear through all frequency’s with no high end glare. I even got an increase in low end punch which I was not expecting. Unfortunately I had to go out of town for work on Monday and did not get to spend more time until the weekend. The sound stage is really started coming together. Imaging is tightening up with sounds becoming more precisely staged and spaced. Deminsionality is strengthening. I was listening to the song Mr Tillman by Father John Misty and there is a bell part in the background from the right speaker. The bells sounded like they were coming from the back of the hall. The hallway is about two feet away from the right speaker. I think the sweet spot may have expanded.  I’m having a lot of fun and enjoyment with the addition of the Mother Load. I’m out of town working again and I am missing my music. At this moment I estimate I have about 25 hours on it. I’ve been told that the Duelund capacitors don’t even start to open up until 50 hours of break in so I am really excited to hear what is to come. I also want to thank Aric not only for the great craftsmanship but for the great customer service. He kept me updated through all stages of the build and beat my expectations on lead time. I knew I was not buying an off the shelf item. Aric is a great guy to do business with and great guy in general. If any one one is considering a tube preamp I would definitely recommend  considering the Mother Load as a contender.  

Thanks Xenophon for the kind words and detailed review of the ML. I believe that unit has a great synergy with the combination of high end parts used throughout. I collaborated at length with Laaudionut when we were designing the first build for him (and he with grannyring). I had the circuit already down in my drawings and it was then deciding where and what to build out, upgrade and implement to get the absolute best performance out of the Motherlode. I believe she'll only get better and open up more the more hours you put on her. Best wishes, Aric

Hello all -

If any Audiogon members in the Chicago area are interested to Hear/See the Aric Audio pre-amp and amplifier combination (Special 6SN7 Line Stage & Special KT88/120/150 SE) we have them setup for demo!

Thanks!
Mike
Audio Archon - Dealer

Much appreciated on the post Mike! I also wanted to let anyone who may read this, and is interested, that there will be a review of the Transcend Push-Pull coming up soon on Home Theater Review. This is likely one of the best bargains in a high powered tube amplifier that is reliable, well-built, uses high quality components and offers the harmonics, depth and midrange typical of only a SET amp. Stay tuned! Best wishes, Aric

Guys, I wanted to add myself to the long line of happy Aric Audio customers. When I was looking to tubes to add musicality to my system, it was this very thread and your feedback that made me decide Aric was the right way to go. 

I emailed Aric, and he kindly offered to jump on the phone with me even though he was on his vacation. Over the next week or so, we discussed and finalized the build on a Trascend 6SN7 Linestage to the exact spec and functionality I wanted. He was patient with all my questions and "what if"s. After all the parts arrived, he put it all together in record time. I was saying how it would be great if it arrived before the weekend, and Aric shipped it out in 2 days to make that happen.

Now the sound. By 20 hours, you can really start to hear the magic of this thing. By 60 hours, it's doing exactly what I wanted it to do. I used to cringe at the older, poorly recorded albums on Tidal because it sounded very harsh. Now no matter what the music, The Transcend brings a level of fluidity and polish to it without sacrificing any detail or seeming veiled. And this is about 100 hours in on the stock tubes. I have asked for a HT bypass switch on the back and have used it to A/B the music with/without the preamp in the chain. I vastly prefer it with.

Overall I'm extremely happy with my purchase. Big thanks to Aric, who was a great guy to deal with. If I had more efficient speakers, I'd be seriously looking at his amps too. Can't wait to try some different tubes at some point and see how much more magic that unlocks.