I have not heard Aric Audio or Don Sachs amplifiers, but, just what I've seen on their websites they do appear to be interesting builders.
There are a number of small builders that make good gear, e.g., Atmasphere, Lector, Synthesis, Shindo, but I don't know how much customization is involved. The builder of my linestage, Aldo D'Urso, normally did not offer remote control of volume, but I wanted it so he built it that way. I also specified balance control. I wanted output transformers to match the input transformers on my amp ( I had choice of transformer output, capacitor output or a switchable choice of either). I had choices on components used in the build; I chose the not-crazy-expensive Western Electric output transformer (I know another buyer who chose $20k output transformers in his linestage and battery power, and other high priced options). I did not bother to specify anything about the chassis and cosmetics, so I ended up with "ugly," which I actually like.