Aric Audio Systems Unlimited Preamp

rocray -- As kalali makes note, it will get better as everything settles-in (and I know that's hard to believe! But it's true.) That's an inherent element of this tube world -- and the overall experience changes us. Like everything, it's a good news, bad news ordeal. The good news is: a little over three years in, I still find myself breath-taken; the bad news is: in order to experience any more Aric Audio magic, I'm going to have to buy a bigger house. Congratulations, my friend.

Thanks 1gertrude,I had a little issue yesterday with a sub cable that wasn't making nice in the sandbox. Now that this is taken care of,some quick impressions.
    Here's a quick rundown of my gear. Right now I'm running a pair of Hornshoppe Great Horned Heils, a First Watt F5. Streaming Spotify through a Bluesound Node. CD's are handled by an inexpensive but trusty Onkyo C-7030. Vinyl is spun on a Pro-Ject RPM 9.1,with a Pro-Ject Tube box II,a Denon 301mkII. Lower frequencies are handled by 2 HSU stf-1'sup front,and a HSU vtf2-mk3.Connecting this all together are,Anticables,Analysis Plus,Audioquest,Dyson Audio,Kimber,and Signal Audio. And last but not least,the new kid in town,The Unlimited pre. At the end of the weekend,I will try to swap in my Nola Boxer 2's. My listening room is a small 9x13x8,with a bit of acoustic treatments.

        The pre I was running before the Unlimited,is a Promitheus Audio TVC. This is a very competent pre. I really love the F5 with the Nola's,but the F5 is not big in the gain department. The first thing that I found to be highly useful with the Unlimited,is the adjustable gain. This little feature lets me to match this pre perfectly to whatever configuration I happened to be running. I forgot to mention earlier when listing my gear,was a pair of Monarchy Audio SM70-mkII's.(these are much higher gain than the F5) 
           Another thing that grabbed me immediately,was the increased width,and depth of the soundstage.Wow!! My tiny room suddenly grew tremendously.  The separation of instruments is incredible. Having used a passive for about 3 years,I found it to be very detailed in my system. Not bright,but detailed. Aric's pre gives me the detail that I love,but adds more body to everything I listen to. 
  This ,I assume,is that tube"magic". I find this very addictive! 
            If this is Aric's entry level pre,I can't imagine what his "Motherload" sounds like. It has to be stunning! That's all I have right now. I'll report back after I have some more saddle time in,and work the Nola's into the mix.

       Ray

Hey Ray, Thanks for posting your impressions of the Unlimited and I'm glad she's blooming into your system! I wanted to post a link to the new Special series Push-Pull amplifier that's just been added to the site for anyone who may be interested. This one is based on the same platform as the Transcend Push-Pull amplifier that's being reviewed right now but has the build quality of the "Motherlode".

http://www.aricaudio.com/products.php?product=SPEKT150PP

Best wishes, Aric

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