Testimonials

Product: Expression

“I found the Expression to be an excellent performer. It lives up to its name: the sound character is expressive, not exactly ‘forward’ in its manner, but for sure lively. It reminded me sonically of a fully decked-out Foreplay III – very open and transparent, unbridled. I think this is a flattering comparison, since the Foreplay has garnered wide acclaim.” – WallofSound.ca

Product: Phono Stage

“This brings us to the Phono Stage. What a sweet little honey of a preamp this is. It could be that my expectations for it weren’t that high going in; as with the Audio Exklusiv phono, the Aric doesn’t look like much more than a little black box, well, in this case a box with a tube protruding from it. But it really blew me away – and definitely surpassed what I expected, by a mile! This unit had real character. It was respectably quiet, at the same time as being really dynamic and lively. This unit handled everything I could throw at it, delivering the music with precision and speed.” – WallofSound.ca

Product: Unlimited

“Hi Aric, It’s me Mohsen. Here’s my feedback regarding the Unlimited preamp I just purchased from a friend. You can post it in the Testimonials section if you like: I’ve been playing the Unlimited preamp since I received it last week and I love the rich, warm and spacious sound that it makes with my pair of McIntosh MC2200 amplifiers. The adjustable gain is particularly useful and a rare treat when I switch to my other amplifier which has a much lower input sensitivity. An excellent preamp at a great price. Nice job.” – Mohsen Amirkalal

 
 
 
 
  EXCELLENT  
  
 Based on 52 reviews 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Michael 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
This review is regarding the Aric Audio Motherlode II preamp and Super 300B SET amp. Please keep in mind, I’m just relating my experience, my feelings, and what I hear. Spoiler alert; these are end game components!  They will faithfully amplify the signal fed them and do it beautifully! As I have upgraded my front end and DAC, the preamp and amp have kept up. Besides the audio performance, they are physically beautiful as well. If you’ve been to his website, you’ve likely seen examples. Now, to the music… I think that probably, you will all agree that music can be beautiful to a profound degree. It can stimulate our emotions, make us laugh or bring us to seemingly endless tears. Well, these components will make it real. They are so musical!  The lifelike realism is breathtaking!  You can pick your adjective; bloom, body, naturalness, transparency, blackground, timbre, texture, tone, harmonics, detail, speed, dynamics - both macro and micro, leading edges, decays, reverbs, echos of the recording environment, enunciation of words, vocal inflections, soundstage scale, soundstage layering and holography, imaging; they all come through. In other words, realism. In my opinion, realism is the highest compliment that can be given. Isn’t that what we’re all chasing? Wouldn’t you agree, the higher the level of realism, the more the music is emotionally involving? Of course, they will only reproduce and amplify the signal fed them. I had a pretty high end front end when I bought them in mid 2022.  I used a Playback Designs Syrah server and a Playback Designs Merlot DAC.  I was very happy and didn’t think I would ever upgrade anything in my system again. But then tragedy struck in my life. I lost someone very dear to me in death. Well, part of my trying to cope was to go on a spending spree. I found a streamer I wanted to try and so I bought it, a HiFi Rose RS130. Everything improved.  Also, I didn’t plan on ever upgrading my DAC but one did intrigue me, the Playback Designs Dream DAC. But this DAC is $24,000, and I couldn’t justify that nor afford it! But I found a dealer that would take on trade many components that I had and didn’t use anymore. He gave me really good trade-in prices to boot! So, given my state of mind, I jumped at it. (Edit: The dealer is Verdant Audio. Scott is the owner and he is great to deal with. He carries many other brands and levels of gear) Wow, am I glad I did! All of the musical qualities I mentioned above took an exponential leap in resolution. The point in me telling you that is that the Aric Audio Motherlode II preamp and Super 300B SET amp were able to transmit that exponential leap in resolution so beautifully! The resulting sound is spectacular, more like real music and real musicians singing and playing before me than I could ever even imagine possible! Talk about emotional involvement, whew! I have heard systems costing up to nearly $200,000 but have never heard anything that even approaches this level of realism. This preamp and amp are special! Of course, another beauty of them is that you can tune them somewhat to the sound you like by tube rolling and selecting the tubes you like the best. I cannot imagine anyone ever wanting to upgrade their preamp or amp after hearing these. End game! And I have to say a few words about Aric. These are his own designs and builds, including the woodwork. What a gifted craftsman he is! He is personable, helpful and easy to work with, as well as kind and respectful. Thank you Aric! Music is very special to me and you have made a profound difference in my life by your creations. I don’t want to get too mushy, but I feel deeply grateful that you go through all the efforts and pains that you do that has brought this beauty into my life. And I’m confident that many others will echo that sentiment. Again, thank you!
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Matt McGill 
 
 
 
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For my first entry into the SET amplification world, Aric came highly recommended to me from a friend. After reaching out, he was very responsive and helped me with picking out the right models that would suit my specific needs and budget. He was upfront about lead time and finished ahead of schedule a bit. The amp and linestage were delivered safely and packed very well. The build quality is superb. Everything about these amps screams high end, and these truly offer fantastic value - reference level listening at attainable pricing. He even includes a set of tubes (which often isn't the case with bespoke tube amps). Overall, super happy with my experience dealing with Aric and the amps he makes. I look forward to enjoying them for the forseeable future, and will likely reach back out should I decide to pick up a 300b amp in the future!
  
 
  
 
 
 
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 Ken Stringer 
 
 
 
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I purchased a Motherlode II from Aric and could not be happier. It’s absolutely beautiful, physically and sonically. It replaced an LTA MZ2, which is a very good pre. I immediately noticed an increase in soundstage and imaging. More width, more depth, more detail and wonderful tone. These are the most important factors for me. The Motherlode II is feeding a Pass XA25 and there is real synergy here. Aric was quick to respond to my questions and provided great communication throughout the build process. I would not hesitate to order from Aric again.
  
 
  
 
 
 
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 EJK 
 
 
 
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Aric makes an astounding product. Always responds quick if you have any questions. My Super 6sn7 is not only a work of art but has brought my music to new heights.
  
 
  
 
 
 
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 Evan Jenkins 
 
 
 
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A couple of years ago I began doing research on an "end game" amplifier. After owning different tube amps over the years I decided a 300B would fit my needs and sound preferences and then came the long process of deciding which 300B I would seek out. Having owned different Decware amps I considered waiting the 2 years to get their Sarah Model but in my research process also read great reviews of Aric's Amps. Then I was lucky enough to stumble upon a used Motherlode II preamp that he made. I bought it and the clarity and dynamics increased in my system by 50% easily. I was blown away. That convinced me to begin the build process on his custom 300B amp. I don't spend that kind of money easily but Aric offers incredible customer service; he responded to my emails incredibly quickly, discussed different build options and upgrades (without pushing the up-sale) and helped me consider how the amp would match with my speakers and the rest of my system. In short, he put my mind at ease. After the deposit was paid Aric began working immediately and ended up finishing the amp early even during the holiday season. As if all that weren't enough from a business standpoint, his product performs well above its price point and would easily cost $15-20k if it were made by a larger scale company. Outside of tube or power cord upgrades I really can't imagine anything I could want to do to improve the experience with this amp! I've had several nights where I thought I'd spend an hour or two listening to music and found myself still enthralled at 3AM. I can't sing Aric's praises enough regarding his business practices and more importantly his product. Give him your money!
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Innovative Energy Sales 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
Aric returns the fun to the buying experience missing in the internet buying world. So much information went back and forth that you knew you were getting something special before writing the check. The pictures showed the craftsmanship, and I have only turned on my Luxman amp twice, which was for comparison since receiving the Aric Audio amps. It was the best Audio purchase I've had, and it's not even close!
  
 
  
 
 
 
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 Greg Horn 
 
 
 
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When it comes to Hifi equipment,  the relationship you have with the person building your amps, should be equal to or greater than the relationship you have with your personal physician.  It can be argued there very much the same and you are gaurenteed that with Arics Audio.  Professionalism, Pride and Quality.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 Posted on Google  
 
  
 
 
 Mike Schmidt 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. 
I was first introduced to Aric around January of 2020 when undergoing a search for a 6SN7 tube preamp. Searching the Audiogon listings I discovered an all tube 6SN7 preamp called the ‘Special’ offered by Aric Audio as a demo model. Given this preamp seemed to be exactly what I was looking for I gave Aric a call. A rather lengthy and enjoyable conversation ensued after which I purchased the unit. It proved to be everything I was hoping for. I found the variable gain to be very useful. I used it to drive my BEL 1001 MK5 and then a Pass Labs XA25. In the Fall of 2021 I began talking to Aric about the purchase of his Transcend PP tube amplifier when in November I found a used one on Audiogon and purchased it. After receiving and having it installed in my system I called Aric to let him know of my purchase and how happy I was with the amplifier. He was not the least bit disappointed and expressed appreciation for the fact I was able to find a used one. The summer of 2023 I decided to have my Special preamp upgraded to be in line with his more recent Super preamp. Now my Special is equipped with the same parts as the Super with the exception of the Kozmo remote as that control would not fit within the Special chassis. It was upgraded with a TDK control however. I now have a preamp equivalent to the Super at significant savings. Aric’s products possess excellent build quality, represent great sonic value, and are backed with superb service. They provide a wide deep soundstage with superb imaging, and articulate tonal balance. Bass has drive without sounding bloated.  The midrange is full bodied without being overly forward or recessed.  The treble is smooth, lacking any harshness, and not cut short in the upper octave. My units are absolutely noise free even with volume turned up with no music playing. I will close with stating that Aric is a pleasure to do business with.  He is readily accessible by phone, email, or via his website.  I encourage anyone looking into tube amplification to check out Aric Audio products.
  
 
  
 
 
 
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 Laszlo Szanka 
 
 
 
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I just purchased the Aric Audio Custom 300B SET. The amp is wonderful exactly what I was hoping for and more. In the process Aric was fantastic. Even after the purchase he is very quick to respond which is very rare these days.  Frankly I can't wait to get one of his preamps as well. I have many systems but now listening to the 300b exclusively. Several are for sale now LOL. Thank so much Aric!
  
 
  
 
 
 
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 John Hoffman 
 
 
 
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I am the proud owner of an Aric Custom 2A3 SET amp and absolutley love it. It is by far the best sounding amp I ever heard period. It has plenty of power and volume for my Devore O/93's which was a concern. No concern needed I have to turn it down but my speakers are made for this amp. I love the look of it and mine is walnut. Aric is a wonderful source to speak with and get advice from. I considered the 300B but my mentor Terry London told me about the sound from the 2A3 and Aric's version has great mids, clear highs and full bass. My room is 21 x 20 and the amp fills the room with clear tone and timbre that sounds like the musicians are in the room. It is holographic and beautiful sound. I highly recommend his amps and the 2A3. I listen to jazz, acousitic and classical.  Highly recommend Aric Audio. Made in USA! John Hoffman