@larsman I am so impressed with your system. Was looking for a pair of bookshelf's and was considering the Martin Parker DUO and the smaller sibling. The DUO was my first choice, just couldn't get over the $$$$$ I ended up going crazy myself and bought a DEMO pair (one month old) Sonus Faber Guarneri G-5. I listened to them in a Nashville store and was so impressed, HAD to have them. Got a pretty fair deal too. Absolutely LOVE them!! (will be paying for some time) Now looking at possibly a new line amp for them. Very impressed with Aricaudio. Will be researching further, may call them soon. Again, you have a great system. Enjoy
AricAudio's new Jackpot 5751 tube-rectified truly balanced preamplifier
AricAudio has just come out with its brand new preamplifier design called the Jackpot. It only uses one 5751, you can roll any version of 12AU7s, 12aX7s, or 12AT7s, as the signal tube and one 12AU7 as a buffer tube. It is tube rectified and is truly balanced from input to output, and it sells for $5600. I put the Jackpot on the 2025 "Most Wanted Components" list for Stereo Times and bought the review demo. It is a phenomenal musical line-stage and a tube rollers delight. Because you do not have to have a matched pair of signal tubes, it uses both plates of one, and there is only one buffer tube you can experiment with many different combinations to get exactly what sonic signature you want to match your personal taste. I finally ended up with using a NOS Mazda 1950’s silver plate triple mica (signal tube) and a NOS Bugle Boy 1950’s long plate (buffer tube) to get exactly what I wanted in my system! Last year I reviewed two other great preamplifiers that were at least double the price, but the Jackpot was at least their equal and exceeded them in purity of tonality and spatial qualities. My full review will come out in the next couple of months. You can go to AricAudio’s website for more details.
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@robshaw - Thank you, Rob - yes, I first auditioned the Oscar Duos against a pair of Dynaudio and YG Acoustics competitors, and was going to buy those, but then decided I'd audition the Oscar Duos compared to the Parker Duos, and that midrange sold me on those big boys (though they play more Graham Parker than Charlie Parker). I got the standard ones with the ceramic tweeter, not the diamond ones that were twice as expensive. And they are big. Their custom stands are 29" tall and your ears from a listening position line up not with the tweeter, but with the middle of the mid-range driver that sits below the tweeter. It's weird, but it works, and throws a correspondingly tall sound stage.... Each stand and each speaker weighs about 30 pounds. |
@teajay - thanks for posting. My main system is SS targeting transparency and low noise floor. My secondary system uses a 100db high-sensitivity speaker for exploring tube magic starting with SET amps. I’m a bit weary of both massive tube amp heat and the ever increasing cost of scarce tubes, so am trying to do this on a tight budget. I was on the fence of trying out a tube preamp, favoring the Backert Rhythm or a used CJ. I was leaning to the neutral Benchmark LA4. But after hearing about the Jackpot, I plan to purchase this year because:
@aricaudio - thanks for the great offering @larsman - just researched your Marten Parker Duos - I’m very impressed |
I received my Jackpot a little more than a week ago and I’ve ran it over 60 hours at this point so it should be reasonably settled in. All I can say is WOW! It beats my old preamp in every way and any other preamp that I’ve ever owned. My last two preamps retailed for $15,000 and $20,000 respectively. One was solid state and the other tubed. I never realized how closed in my system sounded before. Everything is better. Much more detail, clarity, slam and cohesiveness. The sound stage is incredible and the dynamics can be startling. It never sounds fatiguing as I can listen for hours at a time. The Jackpot is very well built and looks great. There is a real pride of ownership with it. The Jackpot is a major bargain in my opinion. I was lucky enough to actually meet Aric at his workshop shop in western Massachusetts as I live less than an hour and a half away. I drove down to pick up the preamp. He is a real gentleman. Anyone in the market for a new tube preamp should have this one on the top of their list.
Thank you teajay for bringing this marvelous piece to my attention and thank you Aric for making such a great preamp at such a reasonable price. I can’t be happier.
Jeff |
Hey Jeff, Thanks for sharing your experience with the Jackpot. It is a "marvelous" line-stage and a bargain for what it costs. I have already had another couple of preamps in for review that were quite good. However, I still prefer the Jackpot's performance in my system and the other two pieces cost almost triple the price! Hope, GON members will consider Aric's new creation, great performance/build quality/ customer service and very reasonable pricing. |
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