Aries Cerat Incito Stereo Preamplifier Aries Cerat’s achievement in preamplifier design is awe-inspiring! Review by Tom Lyle (2024)

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September 2015

Aries Cerat Incito Stereo Preamplifier
Aries Cerat's achievement in preamplifier design is awe-inspiring!
Review ByTom Lyle

The first time I saw photos of Aries Cerat's impressivelooking gear was in Enjoy the Music.com's2012 Munich HighEnd Show report. In March of the same year I read and saw more of theircomponents on the March 2015 IndustryNews page. Then, I read the Industry News report in late October of 2013 –it was then that I finally decidedto send an email to Aries Cerat to request a sample of the subject of thisreview, the Incito preamplifier.

The Incito preamplifier might not have the same level ofvisual wow-factor that Aries Cerat's amplifiers have, most which featuremassive cabinets and exposed tubes, and even though the Incito is Aries Cerat's smallest preamplifier, it is nonetheless quite large and heavy,weighing about 75 lbs. In fact, it is by far the heaviest preamplifier that hasever been in my system. Its chassis is made of solid stainless-steel, its sidesare aluminum, and the preamp has a black glass front panel with no controls. Itappears as if red LEDs shine through its front panel, but those are not LEDs butnumitron tubes with a seven-segment filament to form the digits. All of thepreamplifier's functions other than its main power switch are controlled byits heavy-weight remote. As are the first photos I saw of Aries Cerat's otherproducts back as 2012, the Incito is a very impressive looking component.

Aries Cerat products are designed and manufactured in Cyprus.No points off if you don't know exactly where Cyprus is on a map. To make sureI was correctly describing where it is located I turned to Wikipedia, where theywrite that Cyprus is in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey, west ofSyria and Lebanon, north of Egypt and east of Greece. With that out of the waywe can turn our attention back to the Aries Cerat Incito, where in theirliterature they state that "simple circuits always work and most importantlysound much better". The vacuum-tube powered Incito is built around azero-feedback gain stage, which has a transformer-coupled super-triode using "ultra-high" trans-conductance E280F which was only made by the companySiemans. Loading this NOS (New Old Stock) tube is a "high-quality" step-downtransformer to ensure it performs at its best. The folks at Aries Cerat claimthat the power stage can handle voltage swings of 300 Volts easily, and it isstepped-down to 80Vpp( 50V) which enables it to boast "transistor-like"noise specs. The winding techniques used and the high current delivery from thetubeendows the Incito's triode stage with a very high slewing rate, and a very cleanandextended frequency range. This would be impossible if the internalresistanceof the tube and current delivery was not optimal. The E280Ftube can drivethe transformer to both high and low frequency extremes easily.

To provide the Incito with a low output resistance the preampuses a step-down transformer, and has enough current to drive any load down to250 Ohms. The step down ratio of the transformer is 5:1, so the reflectedinternalresistance of the tube is thus divided by five squared so theactualoutput resistance of the transformer loaded triode stage reaches afigure that is typically impossible by a "normal" tube preamplifier. Thesame can be said for its current delivery, which is high enough to drive anyload. The power supply uses a 5AR4 rectifier vacuum tube, and has separatedouble-Pi filtering for each channel, "oversized" chokes, and "high-speed" capacitors along with an"ultra-low-noise" adjustable biassupply. In fact, I checked the bias of the tubes before I began my audition ofthe Incito, and once again about a month later – the bias specs were stillspot-on, exactly as when I first checked them.

A "high-quality" discrete relay-latched-resistorattenuator is used, and as I said before, this attenuator can only be controlledby the remote. The signal attenuation circuit uses a discrete resistor,ladder/shunthybrid topology, and the resistors are switched by "highquality" relays and theoutput resistance of this configuration is 10times lower than the usualmethods used in resistor attenuation, so thetriode stage does not havebandwidth limitation due to the outputresistance of its attenuationcircuits.

Sample
The rear panel of the Incito has both "True Balanced" XLRand RCA outputs, and my sample of the Incito has four RCA inputs and onepass-through home-theater input. The rear panel of the Incito has five inputs,and any of the five can by user-programmed to become a home theater pass-throughinput by locking that input to a certain gain level. One can program this inputby a switch on the rear panel. One can also request balanced inputs to replaceany number of the RCA inputs that are standard. There is a convenientground-lift switch next to each output, and of course there's an IEC outletfor a power cord of one's choice. A heavy-duty remote control worthy of theIncito is included, which controls all of the preamplifier's functionsincluding volume, mute, balance, input, and display on/off. I found the remoteto be ergonomically satisfying, although I wish the mute control button wasn'tso close to the volume as I accidentally pressed it at inappropriate times morethan once. There is no way I know of to control the preamplifier without theremote – as the front panel is void of controls.

Impressive
The Incito is not only the heaviest preamplifier that I havereviewed or used in my system, but it is also the preamplifier with the mostimpressive fit and finish I can remember having in my system for review. Itsdark glass front panel with four silver studs in its corners, the Aries Ceratlogo machined into its stainless steel top plate, and the display glowing behindits front panel give it not only a sleek, modern appearance, but a stylish one,too. Once placed on a shelf if my Arcici Suspense equipment rack, I connected itas I would any other preamplifier – component inputs connected to its inputs,output connected to the power amplifier, power cable connected to the wall'sAC outlet. Throughout the review period this preamplifier didn't malfunctionin any way or produce any untoward noises. In fact, one of its most salientfeatures was immediately apparent – its silent background, which at first wasa bit unsettling. This was only because I've never heard a tube preamplifierwith such a silent background, so silent that the only way I knew that its powerwas on and the circuit un-muted was to lower the stylus into the record'srun-in grooves. Yes, there is a small amount of noise that came from the othercomponents in the chain, but this was hardly noticeable unless I pressed an earto the speaker's grille. Of course this silent background has many benefits(other than hearing the pre-echo before the first note is played on some lessthan perfectly pressed records) such as an apparent increase in micro- andmacrodynamics, and a general sense that one is hearing the music emanate fromwhat seems to be a source-less system.

Best
The Hammond B3 organ isn't universally loved by jazzaudiences, especially when used in a jazz setting as part of a small ensemble --there is a tendency for the organ to dominate its sound. Yet I'm sure morewould be convinced of the appropriateness of the organ in this setting if theyspun a good sounding copy of Larry Young's Unityalbum, originallyreleased in 1966 on Blue Note. There are about 20 versions that have beenreleased over the years on vinyl and CD, and because I've been a fan of thisalbum since I was a teenager I've owned and listened to quite a few of them.By far the best I've heard is Music Matter's double 45rpm version pressed in2010. In the hands (and feet!) of Larry Young the B3 becomes as nuanced andexpressive as any other instrument on the recording, and this Music Matterspressing brings out even morenuance and expression, not to mention the ambience of the studio, dynamics,instrument timbre, you name it. Plus, the only background noise on this pressingis tape hiss – vinyl surface noise is practically non-existent, which ofcourse brings out even more of sound of the ambience, dynamics, timbre, etc.There is no question that the analog front-end of my review system has much todo with the fine sound I get from this fantastic pressing, which currentlyfeatures a Tri-Planar 6 tonearm mounted on a Basis Debut V turntable, using a KesikiPurple Heart NS I recently reviewed. The phono preamplifier is a PassLaboratories XP-15, which is linked to the Incito preamplifier via a pair of MITinterconnects. The turntable's AC synchronous motor's power cord isconnected to a PS Audio Power Plant P300, feeding it a perfect sine wave eitherat 60Hz when playing records at 33rpm, and 81Hz at 45rpm, such as this album byLarry Young. Despite this admittedly fine front-end, I've read reviews andhave otherwise heard from those who use an analog playback systems with less(and greater) quality than mine, and this Music Matters pressing of Unityis universally praised by all that hear it as the best one is likely to hearshort of borrowing the master tape.

With the signal passing through the Aries Cerat Incito LarryYoung's Unity never sounded better. In fact, playing it with theIncito in the system is it's as if I've neverreally heard this album before. Yes, the Incito is as transparent asany preamplifier I've ever heard, yet at the same time it is as if the signalis being passed through some sort of musical translator, removing any and allbarriers to fully understanding what is on the recording. And at the same time,the Incito seems to be able to decrease the amount of signal being lost whilstit passes through the chain of audio gear, which ends up increasing the amountof signal that passes through to the power amplifier. This description mightsound more than a bit obtuse, but the Incito increases the frequency extensionin both the bass and the treble, increases the amount of micro- andmacrodynamics, extends the soundstage in every direction, and increases thedynamic distance between instruments and groups of instruments as nopreamplifier I've ever heard before – at least not one costing less than$20,000.

The Larry Young LP starts off with the preeminent Elvin Jonesplaying an almost Teutonic pattern on the snare drum, but is almost immediatelyjoined by the rest of the band playing the theme of trumpeter Woody Shaw'scomposition "Zoltan", the one he lifted from Kodaly's HaryJanos Suite, and where the Incito's low-end prowess lets us hearhow Young's bass pedals are as important as the theme played by the rest ofthe band. Elvin Jones' intro is short, but long enough to have made me sit upstraight in my listening seat, amazed at not only the lifelike sound coming fromthe Sound Lab speakers, but how when the rest of the band joins each instrument,cemented in its place in the huge soundstage, and allowed me to hear eachinstrument's individual contribution. The air around each instrument waspalpable, as if I can see the cigarette smoke in the studio with my ears, yetthe Incito was also somehow capable of piecing together the band into an organicwhole – so the entire confabulation sounded like musicbeing played by human beings ina real space, that space being thestudio of one Rudy Van Gelder in his relatively new studio that he built inHackensack, New Jersey. Joe Henderson's tenor sax solo comes in after Mr. Shaw's.I'm not in the position to discredit Woody Shaw in any way, shape,or form. But Joe Henderson's solo smokesand I'm sure no one complained at the session that it takes up a good portionof the middle section of the tune. It is modern-jazz taken to the extreme, yetstays anchored in the blues, bop, Coltrane, free-jazz andstream-of-consciousness.

After a short solo by Larry Young his horn enters again in asection where the soloists trade fourths and the fun continues. Joe Hendersonpushes his instrument to the edge, and it was at this point that many probablythought that this cutting edge jazz was not only jazz's present but itsforeseeable future – rather than just present-day crest of the wave. TheIncito reproduces each instrument, group of instruments, and the entirepreceding as if it can anticipate what each player is thinking. Along with theseamazing feats of supernatural audio engineering ability, the Incito displayswhat its designers were seeking when building this unit – its high frequenciesallowed Elvin Jones cymbals to have a natural snap-ping-ring-decay that could beheard as a transparent window into the session, along with a natural midrangethat could have only been accomplished by gifted engineers to obtainspecifications such the "transistor-like noise specs" Aries Cerat speaks of,as well as the "very high slewing rate, and very cleanand extendedfrequency range" that are patently obvious after only a short listeningsession. After listening to both sides of Unity,I felt as if I had some sort of sonic epiphany.

The trait of this preamplifier that I have most troubledescribing is its "muscular" sound. I don't wish to infer that the Incitohas a sound that is anything less than the most transparent I've ever heardfrom a preamplifier in my system. Yet, while the lower frequencies, which ofcourse include the mid-bass, are as transparent and ruler-flat sounding as theAries Cerat Incito I still came away with the feeling that this preamplifier wasable to pass onto my Pass Labs X350.5 and to my speakers the weightiest soundthat I've had the pleasure of hearing in my listening room. Sure, I canincrease the low end by tweaking the controls of the Velodyne HGS-15b subsituated in the corner of the room. The Sound Lab speakers also have controls onthe rear panel, letting the listener calibrate the sound to suit the room'sacoustic idiosyncrasies. But the music that passed through the Incito did notsound as if I've tweaked the controls on my sub and speakers – not at all.These controls enable one to make subtle changes that might not even be heard bythe non-audiophile (obviously if I crank up the volume of the sub to 11 anyonewith ears (and a gut) will hear this, but that's still not what I'm talkingabout). Anyone who has stood or sat anywhere near a live musician or musicianwill tell you – even if they are not playing loudly – the sound isenveloping and can be heard and felt throughout one's body. The Incito is ableto perform this feat as live music can, even at a low volume. The Incito managesto do this by reproducing the original event as it was recorded, with theoriginal intent of the music, producers, and engineers who made the recordingpassing through to the speakers and to the listener's body and ears.

When thinking of a "muscular" recording I immediately turnto Sir George Solti's recordings of Mahler of Decca Records. Every symphony herecorded in the late sixties to the early 1970s is worthy of any collection thatcontains Mahler, and his reading of SymphonyNo. 5 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is especially noteworthy. I've heard plenty of recordings that blow me over when the full orchestraenters after the trumpet's intro at the beginning of the first movement –but nowhere near as explosive as Sir George's on this record. My audiophilefriends and I would joke about the over-the-top reading that was pressed intothe grooves of these records, imagining that Solti instructed the timpanist topound the skins of the drum so hard propel him at least two feet in the airduring the many climaxes of the score. There are, of course, quieter moments inthis symphony, none more famous than the Adagietto,named so because it is a shortAdagio. This movement is likely the most famous section in any of hissymphonies, made even more famous when Leonard Bernstein played it a Robert F.Kennedy's funeral. When Mahler himself conducted this symphony this shortmovement came in at about 8 minutes, though most conductors stretch it out tobetween 10 and 12 minutes, milking its sentimentality.

Solti's version is ten minutes long, so not as long asothers, and so he prevents it from collapsing into an elegy, The Aries CeratIncito to lets one hear the sumptuous way in which the Chicago strings and harpplay the Adagietto. But it's more than that: when spinning thisrecord it is as if I can focus on a single player in the string section, much asI do when sitting close to the stage in a concert. As I focus on this player, mymind often drifts and I end up letting the sound of the section wash over me,astounded at Mahler's command of orchestration, then my mind snaps toattention as I again turn my attention back to the single player. The Incitomade it easy to slip into this meditative state, as time stops and I am immersedin this single movement, its means of delivery disappears, as I am transportedto this recording session's time and place, the Medinah Temple in Chicago inMarch of 1970, yet in a much more comfortable seat.

The treble of the Incito is worth mentioning only because itis hardly worth mentioning. It does not draw attention to itself, as the treblein a live performance doesn't draw attention to itself – as long as one isnot sitting or standing too close to the source of that treble (think the upperregisters of the piccolo, or anywhere near the percussion section of a largeorchestra). Cymbals and other metallic percussion, the upper registers of thehuman voice and the frequencies just about any instrument that is played on arecording benefit from the Incito's prowess with these frequencies. Afterliving with and listening to the Incito almost on a daily basis since it arriveda bit more than a month ago it became quite evident that the this preamplifiertakes advantage of the fact that it is powered by tubes, without any of thedisadvantages that one might expect – at least from the tube units of yore, astube amplification and preamplification have come a long way. Still, at firstone might think that the treble of the Incito is a bit rolled-off, that is, ifone has been listening to a less-than-distinguished example of the art ofsolid-state preamplifier design.

The high frequency reproduction of the Incitodemands it be compared with the sound of real instruments in a real space. Ofcourse, sounding "real" requires than that the treble is extended, and theamount of treble is "correct". These are important characteristics, ofcourse, but perhaps more importantly the Incito is able to place dynamicdistance between instruments or groups of instruments that are playing at thesame level. The Incito places these instruments or groups of instruments withinthe appropriately scaled soundstage, and these images have as a sharply drawnoutline – as is possible given the quality of the recording that passesthrough it. This dynamic distance is a hallmark of the best tube gear that haspassed through my system – and the Incito is not only the best I've heard inthis area not only of late, but possibly ever. Yet the Incito doesn't soundlike a great tube preamplifier. Nor does it sound like a great solid-statepreamplifier. It sounds like a great preamplifier.

It's unfortunate that some of the best high-end componentsand speakers I've heard only sound good when playing one type of music, and99% of the time that type of music is classical music, acoustic instrumentsplaying in a concert-hall setting. Most of the time this is a trait of speakers,but there are components that seem to be voiced to only sound good with theclassics. The Incito is not one ofthese. I played all types of music through the Incito with the same, excellentresults. The newest wave of metal bands such as Down (from New Orleans),Electric Wizard (UK), and The Sword (Austin, TX) sounded incredible through theIncito – the distorted, Marshall-stack powered electric guitar seared andpummeled the air in my listening room, as the uber-compressed EQ'd to the maxdrums and bass turned up to 11 made mincemeat out of the belief by some that arecording studio is not a "real" space. Electronic music that defiesclassification such as the latest from the Simon Posford and Raja Ram's outfitShpongle, their album Museum Of Consciousnesswhich is akin to a sonic contortionist that you can dance to, enabledthe Incito to demonstrate how it can reproduce the highest highs and the lowestlows with ease, and at the same time draw one into the music as it engulfs youwith its sonic goo.

Conclusion
Sonically, I can't think of any aspect of the sound qualityof the Aries Cerat Incito that I don't like. Yet I have difficulty describingthe "sound" of the Incito. It is transparent, yet very detailed. It ismuscular sounding, but has the ability to reveal inner details and microdynamicshading like no other component I've heard. With the right recording it canreproduce the sound of a full orchestra, with each instrument accurately placedthroughout a panoramic soundfield, but also can reproduce a heavy metal band'srecording that is potent enough to satisfy even the most diehard metal fan. Itcan reproduce a classic Blue Note jazz quintet as if one is a fly on the wall ofthe studio, but never sounds as if one is holding a sonic magnifying glass tothe preceding. I suppose I could say the Incito sounds like music. But even thatmetaphor doesn't fully describe the Incito, Aries Cerat's achievement inpreamplifier design is awe-inspiring! Surprisingly, for what I gather from theirwebsite, the Incito is their smallest preamplifier. I can only imagine the soundof the Incito paired with other Aries Cerat components. Scary.

Functionally,though, the Incito took a while to get used to. There are no front panelcontrols, so one must use the remote to change any settings, including thevolume. Some may like this feature more than others, I feel silly complainingabout this, because the Incito is such an amazing piece of audio artistry – aninety-five pound, twelve thousand dollar piece of audio artistry, but artistrynonetheless. If one can make this investment (with a small amount remaining todonate to one's nonprofit organization of choice, I hope) go for it. I can'timagine one regretting it. Bravo Aries Cerat!

Specifications
Type: Vacuum tube stereo preamplifier
Frequency Response: 4Hz to 100kHz (-6dB)
Maximum Signal Output Swing: 32Vrms @ 10kohm load
Output Impedance: <50 Ohm
Total Harmonic Distortion: 0.005% typical (<0.1% THD @ 20Vrms)
Inputs: Five unbalanced RCA (true balanced XLR inputs on request)
Outputs: XLR balanced and unbalanced RCA
Dimensions: 19" x 14" x 6.5" (WxDxH)
Weight: 75 lbs.
Price: $12,000

Company Information
Aries Cerat, Ltd.
52 Vasileos Pavlou A
Limassol 3052
Cyprus

Voice: +357 99307099
Website: www.Aries-Cerat.eu

Distributor information:
Believe Hifi
1605 Goddard Bluff Dr.
Austin, TX 78754

Voice: (512) 470-2709
E-mail: j@believehifi.com