Audible Illusions Preamp

I’m on my 3rd Audible illusions pre - 1999 M3A (with 23k gold faceplate!), 2009 L2B and, since early July, a brand new L3B. I also own a 1990 S-120 amp - a unicorn for sure - so I guess you could call me a fanboy. The M3A sounded lovely, but it was a tube eater, so I happily stuck with the recommended 6h23-eb tubes. I had no such issues with the L2B or, so far at least, the L3B. I think primarily because of Art’s adamance about the 6h23-en (not to mention the now moot tube eating ‘issue’), people don’t always roll tubes in AI preamps, but my experience is that this simple circuit is very revealing of tube differences, and that the Russian tubes can be improved upon. My personal favorites are West German Siemens, with or without gold pins (7308 or e88cc), followed closely by Heerlen factory e88cc, but that’s just my taste, YMMV and all that. As for the switches, one poster above conflated the gain switch with the totally unrelated 4 bypass cap switches. I believe the gain switch has been eliminated in the newer preamps (it sounded more open without it engaged anyway, I.e., higher gain - that switch was a gain reduction switch - like adding an extra resistor in the signal path which, imho, flattened the dynamics a bit. I’d be interested to know how the guys above who think it’s not a dynamic sounding preamp had it set-up, because I’ve got no shortage of dynamics in my system. As for the bypass switches, unless you’re looking to roll the highs for whatever reason, they are intended to be out of the circuit after the first 100 hours or so of break in (during which it can sound a little ‘bites’. But once that goes away, flip those switches and lookout. You’ll realize you just bought $10k worth of glorious tube sound for $5k. I have my L3B mated to an OG (made in France) YBA Passion 600 amp (30k input impedance, no issue, and have finally actualized the sound I’ve been dreaming of having for the past 50 years.

I know I’ve stumbled into an old thread, but if you still have specific questions, @ihcho I’d be happy to try to answer them. You can also give Art a call at the factory - he might seem a little ornery sometimes, since he’s got to be getting up there in age and he’s essentially a one man show, but if you can get him talking, he’ll tell you everything you want to know and more.

BTW, I dealt with him directly on the trade-in of my L2B for a brand new L3B, and I did NOT experience any of the horror stories I’ve seen spread around about 18 month waits, and avoided phone calls and outright lies. In fact, in the 25 years I’ve been dealing with him, I never found him to be anything but a straight shooter (if, perhaps, a little eccentric). Once he gets to know you, he’s a teddy bear underneath the gruff exterior. I ordered my preamp April 29, he told me it would be 6-8 weeks (manufactured to order, not out of stock). He called me in the 7th week to tell me there would be a delay because their remote control supplier had sent remotes that were set to the wrong frequency, and I had it at my doorstep by week 10. Hardly unreasonable, and I never had to chase after him even once. I’m not discounting anyone else’s personal experience, just reporting that my experience was pleasant all around, and I am thrilled with my new preamp (my only quibble being that the old knobs, while less elegantly shaped, had a heavier, more satisfying feel - but the sound, currently using audio research branded west German tubes from the 1980’s (think SP-10), is exquisite.

Enjoy!

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You know that line about “having to pry it from my dead cold fingers”? That’s how I feel about my 3a….and 3b!! Love em both.

Nice @laginz - glad I’m not the only one who still thinks there’s something special about these preamps and avoided the “I’ll dump on ________ because it will make me sound sophisticated“ syndrome that has infested the internet! I only sold my 3A (which I had for ~17 years) when I got in a lather after one of my VTL amps blew up (again), precipitously decided I’d had enough with tubes for a while, and bought a (very nice) Plinius Hautonga integrated in order to downsize the whole rig. Well, that didn’t last long, so I bought a used L2B and an S-120 amp as a set (I’m still done with tube amplifiers). After about 2 years the backlights started acting up on the L2B, and when I called Art about getting it fixed, I also asked about updating the power supply. Turns out they don’t do updates but, rather, sell you a brand new unit at a very substantial discount (a la Lyra), so I went for it, and I’m glad I did. I know there are some circuit changes, but I primarily attribute the improvements of the 3B over the 2B to the beefier power supply, and the difference is not subtle (and I know it’s not attributable to new tubes vs old, because I’m using the same set of tubes in the new amp that were in the old one). I used the oem Russian tubes for break in, then put them away for a rainy day.

NB: I want to correct one thing in my previous post, but I can’t edit because it’s more than 30 minutes old. My addled 65 year old brain got it backwards regarding the bypass capacitor switches. I actually prefer the preamp with the switches off (i.e., the capacitors in the circuit). While it might not be as neutral, I get a fuller, more musically engaging sound, imho, especially with a SS amp. I used to do it the other way for tube amps (mostly VTLs), which were already pretty fleshed out. But it’s all a matter of personal taste and system matching - some people prefer Koetsu chocolate, others prefer Ortofon vanilla. Neither is wrong, neither is right - do what makes you happiest and ignore what some random guy on the internet tells you is ‘the only way’ (me included, although I try not to espouse absolutes when it comes to audio preferences, even if I don’t always succeed). At this point in my life, when I listen to music (which is a LOT), I’m a pleasure seeker, not a truth seeker, so take it for what it’s worth.

YEMV, etc.

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Yeah, I’ve heard a lot of the stories about horrendous repair turnaround , and have no reason to doubt them. Maybe I’ve been lucky in that my units have never required repair. Ive had excellent results in both sound and longevity with the Russian tubes recommended, as well as Tungsram and Siemans NOS ones. And yes, Art can be either a bit cranky or pretty fun to talk to.:)