Aric Audio Systems Unlimited Preamp

kalali,

Very nice to read that you really like your new Aric audio preamp.
Is it sounding good with both of your pwr amps and do you feel like the preamp is a good value for the sound vs. the cost.

My gut feeling tells me you got a much better preamp than a Freya and I hope you really enjoy it.

Kenny.

Hi. I bought the Unlimited after listening to their little brother which I bought in the local Craigslist. The Unlimited is an excellent preamplifier.  In my system it replaced a EE Minimax. I agree with Kalali 100%, I think he nailed his assessment of the Unlimited. In addition, Aric is a great guy to work with. In my case he added an extra set of input jacks for a modest price. I've owned a series of high end preamps and sound wise the Unlimited beat them all. One thing I noticed is that the new Unlimited only has two 12ax7 while mine has three. I'm not sure why that is but i'm very happy with my purchase. It would cost two to three times what I paid to get better sound. This is a highly recommended piece of equipment if you are in a budget.  

audiogabby, nice to hear input from an owner who's owned other tube preamps. This is my first and I'm really enjoying the different presentations of my favorite music tracks I hear from this preamp when compared to the SS units I've owned in the past. I'm guessing the third 12ax7 in yours is for the phono stage since on the new ones he's using a solid stage front end feeding into one the two 12ax7 line stage tubes. I haven't tried that input yet since I have a completely separate but much older vinyl rig.

The phono stage is pretty decent too at the price point. The biggest strengths of this preamp, in my opinion, is the midrange presence, dynamics and clarity.