Aries Cerat Heléne DAC and Incito S preamp

Preliminary Listening – Earthing and XLR/RCA Cable experiments

To get the variables out of the way I have listened to both positions of the Incito S preamp’s earth switch using identical single-ended and balanced cables. Starting with the single-ended cables, I found that the preamp sounds best when the switch is set to the vertical earth position. This way, the sound is most incisive and articulate, with the crispest transients, which is quite noticeable in the bass. The non-earthed horizontal position leads to a softer, dreamier sound.

With the XLR cables, the sound is approximately 6dB lower which translates to about 3-4 steps on the Incito’s volume control. But when compared directly, even with adjusted gain (either on the Incito or on the CH A1.5), the single-ended cables sound better to me. In comparison, the balanced connection sounds less incisive and direct and comparatively a little vague. Perhaps, more running in time was required?

Although, I should mention this the other way around, as the preamp sounded mighty fine to me when I first connected it with balanced cables, not having heard the single-ended outputs. It’s just that it simply sounds even better when used with single-ended cables. Put bluntly, with the XLR outputs, I felt that I still heard a moderate amount of what I will call tube downsides in the bass department. Compared to transistors, the degree will vary, but there’s always a little rounding going on in the bass and I also heard this with the Aries Cerat components. As I now found out during the initial cable experiments, this was actually induced for the most part by the balanced cables.

As a side note, the Heléne DAC also has a -6dB switch on the rear which I have left in the -6dB position because that makes the Incito S preamp operate in the 3-7 volume setting for normal listening and 12-14 when listening very loudly. With the Helene’s output set to 0dB, there’s too little remaining range in the preamp’s volume control. When using the Incito S balanced outputs, however, this switch works to partially compensate for the lack of incisiveness when using XLR cables. But still, I prefer the cinch connection.

With the Driade Flow Link Reference 808 cables between the Heléne DAC and Incito S preamp (RCA) as well as between the Audio-GD Master 1 preamp and CH A1.5 power amp (XLR), the sound with the two Aries Cerat components in place is supremely detailed, refined, and transparent. I did notice a slight softness or lack of incisiveness in the bass which I will admit to first having attributed to the Aries Cerat components being tube devices. However, as I found when swapping the Driade interlink between Incito S preamp and CH A1.5 power amp, first for the Jena Labs Aurora and then for the Stealth Indra, the sound immediately tightened up, leaving virtually zero tube-associated softness while retaining the super-organic and free-flowing presentation, as well as the impressive dynamics. This is when it dawned on me just how fabulously transparent and revealing these products are.

Comparing the Stealth Indra XLR to the RCA Indra between the Incito S preamp and CH C1 A1.5 power amp, the RCA version impressed me most for its more articulate and incisive sound. Since these cables are known to be extremely neutral and non-sounding, I strongly suspect that this audible difference stems from the Aries Cerat inputs and outputs. After a couple more experiments, a preference quickly formed for using the Stealth Indra RCA cable between the Incito S preamp and CH A1.5 power amp, and so, this cable remained in place between preamp and power amp for the rest of the review.

Listening to the Heléne DAC, alternately connected using the Driade single-ended and Balanced cables, I found that these cables both seem to work better between the DAC and preamp than between preamp and power amp. I’m not sure why and with different partnering components, the result might be different again. In any event, at the output of the Heléne DAC, both the RCA and XLR cables provide a relaxed but open window onto the sound with huge transparency and superb low-level resolution with no lack of impact or incisiveness. However, I did note once again that the RCA connection has a slightly more concise sound. The difference seems smaller than with the preamp’s outputs, but the RCA connection is just that little bit more lively and direct to make me prefer it.

Finally, I also connected the FoilFlex cables between the Heléne DAC and Incito S preamp. As expected, they provide a beautifully clean and pure sound that is faster and more articulate than the Driade cables, even when using the XLR inputs. And if the goal is to wring as much resolution and transparency from the components without breaking the bank, these interlinks sure are an interesting alternative. However, in the company of the Aries Cerat components, it can’t be overlooked that these cables are also quite lean and definitely less magical in terms of soundstaging and organic flow than the Driades. Thus, the Flow Link Reference 808 RCA cable was elected to remain in place between DAC and preamp for the rest of the review.

CH C1 versus Aries Cerat Heléne and Incito S using AES/ABU

For this comparison, I used the Driade Flow Link Reference 808 XLR cable between C1 and A1.5 to get the most out of the C1 in terms of fluidity and refinement. Between the Incito S preamp and A1.5, I used the Stealth Indra RCA cable to achieve the most articulate sound from the Aries Cerat preamp. Between the two Aries Cerat components, I used the Driade Flow Link Reference 808 RCA cable.

Thanks to the MU1’s server’s dual AES/EBU outputs, the A1.5’s dual inputs, and the convenience of tablet-control, I was able to swap between my regular system and the Aries Cerat DAC + preamp, at the flick of a finger. Now, that proved to be very interesting! Not only did the tube combo match the twice as expensive CH DAC in nearly every aspect, it even improved on it in two very important areas.

For starters, the impact and dynamics did not change very much at all, the two tube components being nearly every bit as impactful, expressive, and thrilling as the direct CH DAC to power amp connection. Seasoned tube aficionados might not be surprised but for many people, tubes are still synonymous with (a little too much) kindness, creaminess, and romance.  In other words, tubes are often mostly seen as being seductive. But as I personally learned while getting acquainted with tubes, they can actually be shockingly lively and dynamic, depending on the design.

These Aries Cerat components are clearly designed such that they are as transparent and as lively as possible while retaining the seductive magic that one expects from tubes. They do not, however, put a restraint on the dynamics to make for a “sweet” sound, nor do they add bloom or to make the sound subjectively more pleasing. The sound is linear and even-handed if gently warm.

But please don’t assume that they must sound clinical, mechanical, or non-romantic, as nothing could be further from the truth. The combo has all the liquidity and organic flow that one expects from a tube design as well as the convincing realism to trigger immediate emotional involvement.

In some ways, the Aries Cerat components remind me of the Zanden 6000 and 8120 amplifiers for combining certain transistor strengths with tube magic. Of course, that’s an apples and oranges comparison, but still, that’s how it strikes me. More appropriately, if I recall the Zanden 3100 preamp, I feel that it sounded more “tubey” than these Aries Cerat Incito S. A close friend keeps telling me that the Zanden 6000 deviates from this by sounding cleaner and less bloomy but so far, I’ve not been able to perform a comparison in the same environment. But all that’s not really relevant for this review so let’s put a pin in that for now. More on point, I will describe the Aries Cerat components’ individual sound in more detail in the “Aqua DAC” and “C1 direct or via Incito S” sections, further below.

The most impressive aspect of the Aries Cerat combo that you instantly notice when switching from the direct CH DAC to amplifier connection to the Heléne DAC and Incito S combo, is a change in the way that the soundstage is presented. To the CH DAC’s credit, its generic soundstaging abilities are a match for the Aries Cerat components. The tube components really do not sound larger per se, and they don’t image wider or deeper, but there’s just so much more life and movement within the soundstage. I call this aspect “breathing”. As opposed to the direct DAC connection’s more static presentation, with the Aries Cerat duo, the various elements within the soundstage seem more convincingly to possess 3D bodies that inhabit their own spaces within the stage, and reverbs and decays of the recording venue’s dimensions are much more convincingly reproduced. Especially vocals become more lifelike because of this.

When going back to the direct DAC connection, this is by far the biggest change you hear. The naturalness remains, there’s no treble highlighting nor any hardness, no lessening of saturation or change in tonality or timbre, and the soundstage remains just as wide and deep. But what happens is that the stage becomes more stilted, less free-flowing. The CH components are the least transistor-sounding components that I have heard and that’s one of the reasons why I chose them, but in comparison to the Aries Cerat components, they do sound unmistakably “transistor-y”, or perhaps I should say “not tube-like”. The preamp-less and tubeless CH system is pretty much as refined and fluid as the Aries Cerat duo but sounds comparatively dry. For many, this aspect alone may be an important deciding factor. But of course, this is not all there is to it as the CH DAC also has certain advantages, one of which I find personally important. But it is also something that I have found that many listeners do not pick up on. I’m talking about bass articulation. Or, put differently, the texturing and transient speed in the lower frequencies.

This is admittedly a special focus of mine that stems from a natural inclination to prioritize bass melodies over the song’s main melody so if you’re a normal person, don’t pay too much attention to this;-) In any event, likely unsurprisingly, the Swiss DAC has better control and definition in the bass. I wouldn’t say the Aries Cerat bass is unfocused, let alone blurred, but especially in the upper bass, it’s certainly less crispy than that of the CH DAC. This is just a fact of (audio)life. Transistors tend to be tighter and crisper and tubes are usually more organic and free-flowing, it’s simply the way it is.

But as I mentioned, not everyone seems to pick up on this, or at least not when combined with the overwhelming benefits of the tube components in other areas. I’ve had several of my friends come over to let them listen to the two systems, after which I asked for their opinions. Interestingly, all of them commented on the increased organic flow and none noticed the rounding in the bass until I pointed it out to them.

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