Audible Illusions Preamp

L2 replaced L1. 3 replaced 2. 3A replaced 3. There were many variations on the 3. All the 3s have a similar sound.
The 3A is an outstanding preamp. There is a new model called the 3B. Art is a great designer. Customer Service has been the weakness of Audible Illusions.

Narrod, thanks for your brief but detailed information. It was much appreciated. I will be trying out one of these soon. Cheers.

Honestly, I felt that the 3a lacked dynamics. Try it out see what you think. I think you could do better, but I'm not sure what to recommend at that price point.

Check the manufacturing history at the Audible Illusions website.

I have to agree with Peter_s. I felt that the sound of the Audible Illusions was somewhat compressed and it lacked dynamics and presence. I've owned and enjoyed a VTL Super Deluxe Preamp for the past 15 years, until I recently upgraded to an MBL 6010D.

If you're considering the Audible Illusions, then I think you should also consider a similarly priced VTL, perhaps a 2.5 or 5.5

I've head the VTL in my system (2.5), and while not super 3D, it gets the timing and the rhythm right and the music comes through well. I would choose it above the 3a for sure. I've heard the 5.5 is even better.

Hi,

I owned a Modulus 3A for a long time and loved it. One poster said that he thought it lacked dynamics, and that could be true depending on the amp it was matched up with. The version of the Modulus 3A that I owned (circa 1999) needed an amp with an input impedance of at least 50 kOhms. If you followed the guidelines, it was a great preamp that had very nice dynamics.

I had to sell mine when I upgraded my amplifier to a more modern design that had quite a low input impedance. Mated with with a low input impedance amp, the Modulus 3A sounded thin and lacked dynamics. However, match it up properly and it is a beauty. Maybe the newer version of the 3A drives low impedance loads better, but I'm not sure.

Alan

I have tried the preamp which was an L1. Unfortunately it wasn't an improvement to my ARC LS-16. In comparison it was unrefined and little shut-in. I think what others have said about the Audible Illusions being compressed and lacking in dynamics may have mirrored my thoughts. The good thing is the unit comes quite close to the ARC at half the cost. May be a gem for those seeking a budget unit that sounds excellent at its price range.

I'm shocked to hear people say the Modulus 3A lacks dynamics. It must be an equipment mismatch. I'm intimately familiar with it in a system where it feeds a pair of Plinius SA100 MKIII driving a pair of Shahinian Hawks. The front end is a VPI MK IV with Moerch 4 and Dynavector DV-20XH. The combination is anything but lacking in dynamics! It would be extremely helpful to know what equipment was paired with the Mod 3A for those that found it lacking.

AI preamps can sound a little "shut-in" if the capacitor bypass switches are set to "in". To my ears, best sound is achieved with those capacitors set to "out" which results in better high frequency extension and air.

As I recall, HP's comments about the Audible Illusions were along the lines that, if dynamics were "it" the Modulus 3A would be King of The Hill. I think that says it all.

I had a 3A for a while and liked it a lot. I found it to be on the "lush" or "romantic" side of the spectrum and dynamics didn't really make much impression either way (good or bad).

I would note that, based on feedback in these forums, AI's customer service rep is likely among the worst in the business. IIRC, some years back, several people posted here about AI units sent in for service that were never seen again. I DO NOT have any first hand experience here, so I don't want to trash the company, but, in this case, I would definitely check the archives before purchasing.

Good Luck

Marty