I don’t see many posts here or dedicated thread referencing the Black Ice Aries all-in-one. I ordered one recently, and had a few days to listen to it. I’d be happy to share additional details after I’ve had more time with it, but feel free to ask any questions you may have. I can say that so far, I’m in complete agreement with WaveTheory’s YT review of this unit. It’s worth a watch if you’re remotely interested in this piece of equipment.
Black Ice Audio Aries: DAC/Amp/Preamp
- Thread starter yakbob
- Start date
Yea i honestly thought it was a facinating product. Are you able to say what headphones/iems you are using? Also some comparisons with other well known devices would be good to know as well!
@Ian88, I’m currently using the JM Audio XTC 2.5 closed back headphones exclusively.
I’m largely a 2-channel stereo guy. My headphone setup is a means to end so I can listen while my wife is making a ruckus in the kitchen. She cooks all day sometimes. Open floor plans are not all they’re cracked up to be.
The only comparisons I can make is with the headphone out on my C2300 pre amp, and the Cayin HA-3A. The c2300 headphone out is merely adequate. It works, but no real magic.
The Cayin offers a large improvement over the C2300, and has one of the most solid builds I’ve seen from any piece of gear that’s come through my home. The build quality is staggering when you consider the price (and yes, I understand this is due to country of origin). The Cayin could have easily been my forever amp, but I began to wish for balance control (due to a slight imbalance in my hearing), and for some control over bass and treble settings in an analog domain. The only units I could find that would address these needs were a Douk audio EQ that also offers balance control, the Zahl HM-1 (out of my budget without selling off parts of my speaker rig) and the Black Ice Aries.
The Aries addresses my balance and tone control needs perfectly, and it sounds a bit more robust/lively than the Cayin, likely due to the hybrid tube/solid state design. I primarily use the headphone amp without the built in DAC, but did try it for a week while burning the unit in. Using the DAC and amp with both stock Tung-sol tubes, the sound is slightly bass heavy and a little on the warm/wooly side. If you’re a bass head, this unit will make you happy. The bass output is strong even on the lowest setting. I’m able to achieve a more balanced sound with cleaner bass when using the Holo May DAC in front of the Aries. The May is also my main source for my speaker setup, so I was always planning on using that as my primary source.
Overall, I’m very happy with the Aries from a sound quality and performance perspective. Things that I would have loved to see in this unit is a remote control for the volume, and for the price, a little higher build quality. Not that it’s bad, but if you put the Aries next to the Cayin and asked anyone to identify which one cost more, they’d point to the Cayin every time. I personally would have paid $2500 for the Aries with only the head amp section, and tone controls, in a chassis similar to the Cayin. The Black Ice glass face plate does help, and the knobs are of high quality, but overall the chassis feels a little agricultural.
I’m largely a 2-channel stereo guy. My headphone setup is a means to end so I can listen while my wife is making a ruckus in the kitchen. She cooks all day sometimes. Open floor plans are not all they’re cracked up to be.
The only comparisons I can make is with the headphone out on my C2300 pre amp, and the Cayin HA-3A. The c2300 headphone out is merely adequate. It works, but no real magic.
The Cayin offers a large improvement over the C2300, and has one of the most solid builds I’ve seen from any piece of gear that’s come through my home. The build quality is staggering when you consider the price (and yes, I understand this is due to country of origin). The Cayin could have easily been my forever amp, but I began to wish for balance control (due to a slight imbalance in my hearing), and for some control over bass and treble settings in an analog domain. The only units I could find that would address these needs were a Douk audio EQ that also offers balance control, the Zahl HM-1 (out of my budget without selling off parts of my speaker rig) and the Black Ice Aries.
The Aries addresses my balance and tone control needs perfectly, and it sounds a bit more robust/lively than the Cayin, likely due to the hybrid tube/solid state design. I primarily use the headphone amp without the built in DAC, but did try it for a week while burning the unit in. Using the DAC and amp with both stock Tung-sol tubes, the sound is slightly bass heavy and a little on the warm/wooly side. If you’re a bass head, this unit will make you happy. The bass output is strong even on the lowest setting. I’m able to achieve a more balanced sound with cleaner bass when using the Holo May DAC in front of the Aries. The May is also my main source for my speaker setup, so I was always planning on using that as my primary source.
Overall, I’m very happy with the Aries from a sound quality and performance perspective. Things that I would have loved to see in this unit is a remote control for the volume, and for the price, a little higher build quality. Not that it’s bad, but if you put the Aries next to the Cayin and asked anyone to identify which one cost more, they’d point to the Cayin every time. I personally would have paid $2500 for the Aries with only the head amp section, and tone controls, in a chassis similar to the Cayin. The Black Ice glass face plate does help, and the knobs are of high quality, but overall the chassis feels a little agricultural.
Death_Block
Headphoneus Supremus
No pictures on the website. Looks like an interesting device
@yakbob Yea tone controls are what really made me keen on this unit! Sounds like the tube based dac may be a little too much for me, but the headamp section looks really promising. Glad you are enjoying the unit!! Thanks for the comparison 
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