Audible Illusions M3B question

Happened on this thread by chance while browsing other audiophile stuff...  Read every single post and laugh-cried all the way through.  I owned the M3A back in the 90's.  In time,  AI announced the backlit knob and stepped attenuator upgrade.  I remember driving my unit to the Pleasanton, CA location once they'd confirmed by phone that the upgrade was indeed possible with the edition I had.  I have long since forgotten how many months I had to wait for the overhauled piece to be returned to me, but reading the stories in this thread I do recall it was a very long time, with excuses made along the way.  Like many here, I did love the M3A before, and even more after those upgrades, but I eventually moved on to better tube preamp offerings, of which there have been many... 

I eventually moved on to better tube preamp offerings, of which there have been many... 

Can you please post a list @sundaycomix ?
 

I have an AI purchased in ‘98. I have been thinking about upgrading, but I do not know what I would upgrade too, as it seems like it is very nice.

The main thing that I dislike is that it is 120v, and it is in Australia now, so I use a transformer. The upgrade cost to go to a 230v power supply was $450, but then I think that they wanted me to send the unit in… I honestly cannot recall exactly… it was like ~6 months ago. And secondly it takes up a bit of shelf space.

But it sounds so good, that I cannot imagine what I would replace it with.

I happened to have both M3B MM (used) and M3B MC (new). After realizing that the used sounds as good as the new, and the MC is not as quite good compared to Allnic H1202 MC and Hashimoto based SUT, I sold M3B MC.

I like to hear from anybody who had owned M3B and happened to upgrade it. Which preamp did they upgrade to? How much better the upgraded preamp is compared to M3B in sound quality?

Yeah @ihcho … #metoo

I do not have the phono stage, and the tubes have not been replaced. I might do that, but it is soundly lovely still.

@ihcho,

I had a Modulus3, Modulus3A, and Modulus3B.  I upgraded from each previous model.  I sold my 3B for 2 reasons. First was there was too much gain!  I could not put the volume controls past 9 o clock and the detects didn’t help. The other reason is I am much older now and wanted a remote.  

I replaced the 3B with a Rogue RP-5 preamp and kept it only for  1 1/2 years.  While I liked the remote aspect, the sound was not as good as the 3B.  I finally settled on a McIntosh C2500 tube preamp and it is my last preamp.