Vintage Audio Gems: Aragon 4004 MKII & Audible Illusions Modulus 3

Written By: 
Ian White
Tags: 
Share:
  •  

The 200 watt per channel vintage amplifier contains two separate mono amplifiers and can drive almost anything.

If you’ve never spent any time on HiFiShark while searching for used or vintage audio equipment, I suggest that you prepare yourself for what you might find. Chaos and a lot of disappointment when the exact amplifier you have been looking for appears but the owner is in Croatia. Hard pass on that one. I love Croatia as a country and go there on vacation every few years but I’m not dropping $1,500 on some amplifier that I can’t visually inspect; I’m willing to drive 8-10 hours each way for something really special, but I’ve had too many items not show up or arrive broken in pieces to do that again.

One of the most obvious pitfalls of any piece of vintage audio equipment is the availability of parts and someone qualified to fix or upgrade it. I’m hesitant to recommend specific components if neither one of those scenarios is a possibility. Does it make sense to recommend the Aragon 4004 MKII or Audible Illusions Modulus 3A?

In my previous two installments, we recommended the Vandersteen 1Ci and MartinLogan reQuest loudspeakers because both brands still exist, offer comprehensive service and parts, and there is a lot of demand for both on the used/vintage audio markets. Both companies have been around for almost 40 years and are very successful.

The Aragon 4004 MKII has not been in production for a few decades but the current ownership at Indy Audio Labsare superb audio engineers and doing a great job presently with Aragon and Acurus. Based on my experience, they are there to help Aragon 4004 MKII owners.

We recently reviewed the Acurus Muse A/V Processor and it’s one of the best home theater products available; an aspirational piece of equipment for those of us who love watching movies in a dedicated home theater room.

Audible Illusions is also still in business and manufacturing high-end pre-amplifiers and power amplifiers. The brand flew under the radar for many years but has recently relocated from its factory in California to a new “state-of-the-art” facility in Ormond Beach, Florida.

The company offers a completely new version of its famed Modulus 3A pre-amplifier called the Modulus 3B. The prices have certainly increased over the past 20 years with the new model retailing for $5,400 USD.

Audible Illusions also offers new tube sets for the Modulus 3A and service/repairs for a fee. I would highly recommend sticking with their parts and recommended tube sets based on hours of online research on various forums.

So why are we talking about these two specific vintage audio components that will run you at least $2,500 on the used market?

New York Magazine 1990-02-19 Cover
Credit: New York Magazine, Photography by Louis Psihoyos/Matrix

New York Magazine ran a very famous cover in 1990 featuring Mike Kay, the owner of Lyric Hi Fi and Video; the New York high-end audio institution closed permanently during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mike Kay passed away in 2012 leaving behind a very important legacy. Not only was Lyric Hi Fi one of the most influential stereo shops in the world launching many of the brands that have graced the covers of stereo magazines for decades, but it created a very high standard for the retailers that would emerge across the United States.

The Absolute Sound would not exist had Mike Kay not convinced the late-Harry Pearson to launch his publication.

I was 20 when I saw that cover on the newsstand in a bookstore in Dupont Circle and its impact on the rest of my life was not something that I was expecting.

I remember flipping through the David Denby article and focusing on the stack of Aragon, Audible Illusions, California Audio Labs, and VPI components.

None of this equipment was easy for me to find in Toronto or D.C. where I lived at the time, so I hopped on the train and made my way to New York City to visit Lyric and Sound by Singer.

The New York Magazine article mentioned the more affordable Aragon 2004 and Audible Illusions Modulus 2B but my interest in the two brands was ignited.

Andrew Singer in New York Magazine 1990
Credit: New York Magazine, Photography by Louis Psihoyos/Matrix

Andrew Singer standing behind a pair of MartinLogan CLS was like a drug for me. I wouldn’t stop until I owned the speakers. 31 years have gone by and I’m looking for my 6th pair of MartinLogan speakers — which will definitely be my last.

The bipolar side of my personality became obsessed with high-end audio equipment and my desire to spend all of my hard-earned money from 4 years of working 60 hours a week during the summer at my parent’s pizzeria became a red flag for my family. Especially when I was attending a $30,000 per year college (1990) in a foreign country.

Aragon 4004 MKII Front

Aragon 4004 MKII

The Aragon 4004 MKII power amplifier was created by Mondial Designs; the short-lived design house owned by Dan D’Agostino of Krell. The 4004 quickly became known as the “poor man’s Krell” for its bottomless pit of power and similar tonal balance. It was a heavy chunk of metal with a unique ventilation design and heatsinks.

The 200 watt per channel 4004 MKII contained two separate mono amplifiers in a single chassis and could drive almost anything.

Aragon 4004 Mark II Rear

The amplifier could double its output into 4 ohms and was ideal for MartinLogan electrostatic loudspeakers and the Magnepan models of the period.

For all of its brute power, the 4004 MKII could sound remarkably transparent and detailed with the right pre-amplifier and speakers.

Audible Illusions Modulus 3a Preamplifier

Audible Illusions Modulus 3A

The Modulus 3A was introduced in 1995 or 1996 and for a smaller brand, they were able to move a lot of product back in the day. Audible Illusions sold more than 15,000 all-tube pre-amplifiers during its first 15 years in business which is a lot for any high-end brand in 2021.

The Modulus didn’t become very popular in the US until 1984 or 1985 and it took a series of very positive reviews before the brand began to get noticed by the high-end crowd in America.

Audible Illusions was started by Art Ferris, a successful exporter of vintage McIntosh and Marantz gear to salivating customers in Asia. When the supply began to dwindle, he created the brand to satisfy the demand for American-made tube gear in Japan.

Audible Illusions Modulus 3a Preamplifier Back

Fast foward to 1996 and the Modulus 3A was in heavy demand. The optional John Curl-designed MC phono stage was an option that many selected and was well worth the extra $500. If you’re a fan of Parasound, you’re very likely aware of John Curl’s products.

The Modulus 3A’s faceplate was a very substantial piece of metal that was 1/4″ thick. The 4 control knobs were beautifully machined from aluminum. The ventilated top cover was secured with nicely finished hex-headed screws and easy to remove; something that was necessary to deal with the tubes that often blew well before their time.

The line stage portion of the Modulus 3A was excellent but the phono stage was on another level for a tube pre-amplifier in 1996 priced at $1,895. Definitely not inexpensive but it could compete with some of the best products of the period and was very well engineered.

If you’re obsessed with measurements, the Audible Illusions Modulus 3A was near the top of the mountain for a pre-amplifier at the time. The power supply was housed in a separate chassis connected to the main unit with an umbilical cord.

Synergy

Why should you bother trying to assemble a vintage system around these two components?

Synergy.

The concept has not changed and putting these two excellent components together with the right pair of loudspeakers created an excellent stereo system in 1996 and would work just as well in 2021.

The Aragon 4004 MKII needs the warmth and resolution of the Modulus 3A and any of the pre-amplifier’s shortcomings in the low end are quickly fixed by the intense slam and control of the 4004 MKII which delivered bass notes with authority, texture, and excellent pacing.

Two of the best components from the period and well worth the money today if the condition is excellent.


This article originally appeared at ecoustics.com and has been published here with permission.

Related Articles

Sort By
12th Isle
2 Tone
2020
2022
2023
33rpm
45rpm
4AD
5 Selects
5 Seletcs
7"
99 Records
A&M
Abbey Lincoln
Aboriginal
Abstract
Ace Tone
Acid
Acid Archives
Acid Folk
Acid House
Acid Mt. Fuji
Acid Punk
Acid rock
Acid Techno
Acoustic
Adrian Sherwood
ADS
Advent
Africa
African
Afro
Afro House
Afro-Cuban
Afrobeat
Alan Braufman
Alan Ginsberg
Alan Greenberg
Alan Thicke
Albert Ayler
Album Cover
Alejandro Cohen
Alex Patterson
Alice Coltrane
All Genre
Altec
Alternative Rock
Amaro Freitas
Amazon Music
Ambient
Ambient Jazz
ambient techno
American Primitive
Amoeba Music
Amplifier
Analog
Anatolian Rock
Andrew Hale
Andrew Weatherall
Andy Warhol
Anenon
Animal
Animation
Anna Butterss
Antonio Zepeda
AOR
Aphex Twin
Aquarium Drunkard
Archie Shepp
Archival
Ariwa
Armenia
Art
Art & Design
Art Dudley
Art Film
Art Pop
Art Rock
Artform Radio
Arthur Russell
Article
Arvo Part
Ash Ra Temple
Asian Underground
Audio Note
Audiogon
Audiophile
Audiovisual
Austin Peralta
Australia
Autechre
avant
Avant-Garde
Avant-pop
Avant-Rock
Avent-Garde
Balearic
Bali
Ballad
Bargain Bin
Bark Psychosis
Baroque
Baroque Pop
Basquiat
Bass
Bauhaus
Bayou Funk
BBC
BBC Radiophonic
Be With Records
Beat Scene
Beats
Beats in Space
Beaumont Hannant
Bebop
Belgium
Ben UFO
Bennie Maupin
Berlin-school
Best of 2020
Beverly Glenn​-​Copeland
Bhutan Stamps
Big Band
Bill Laswell
Black Ark Studios
Black Jazz
Blaxsploitation
Blood & Fire
Blue Note
Blues
Blues Rock
Bob Marley
Bola Sete
Bolero
Bollywood
Boogie
Book
books
Boom Bap
Boredoms
Bossa
Bossa Nova
Boymerang
Brainfeeder
Brazil
Brazilian Folk
Breakbeat
Breezy
Brian Eno
Broadcast
Bruce Weber
Bruton Music
Buddhism
Budget Audiophiler
Cabaret
Calypso
Cambridge Audio
CAN
Candombe
Cannanes
Canterbury
Cantopop
Cape Jazz
Cape Verde
Caribbean
Carla Bley
Cartridges
Casio
Cassette
Cats
CD
Celluloid
Celtic
Chamber Jazz
Chamber Music
Chamber Pop
Chan Marshall
Channel One Studios
Chanson
Charles Lloyd
Charles Mingus
Chee Shimizu
Chet Baker
Chicago
Chicha
Chillout
China
Chinese
Chiptune
Choral
Christmas
City Pop
Classic Album Sundays
Classical
Classics
Clicks & Cuts
Clothing
Club
Cocteau Twins
Coctueau Twins
Coffee
Coldwave
Colorfield
Comedy
Commercial
Community
Compass
Compass Point
Compilation
Concept Album
Condesa Electronics
Conlon Nancarrow
Conny Plank
Contemporary Jazz
Cool Jazz
Cornelius
Cosmic
Cosmic Disco
Cosmic Folk
cosmic jazz
Country
Country Pop
Country-Rock
Covers
Cult Classic
Cumbia
DAC
Dacne
Daedalus
Daft Punk
Dan Greene
Dance
Dance Music
Dancehall
Daniel Aged
Dark
Dark Ambient
Dark Entries
David Behrman
David Bowie
David Byrne
David Sylvian
Davida
Dedicated listening session
Deep Dive
Deep House
Deep Listen
Deep Listening
Delia Derbyshire
Dembow
Demo
Dennis Bovell
Denon
Detroit
Devotional
DFA
Diabate
Diasporic Disco
Dick Verdult
Diggin in the Mags
Digi-Reggae
Disco
Discogs
DIY
DIY / Amateur
DJ
DJ Shadow
Documentary
Dogs
Don Buchla
Don Cherry
Donald Byrd
Doom Metal
Dou Wei
Downtempo
Dowtempo
Dr. John
Dream House
Dream Pop
Dreamy
Drone
Drum & Bass
Drum Break
Drum Machine
Drum n Bass
Drummers
Drums
Dual
Dub
Dub Poetry
Dub Techno
dublab
Dubstep
Dubwise
Durutti Column
Düsseldorf School
Dust and Grooves
Dynaco
Eames
Earl King
Early Electronic
East African
Easy Listening
Eblen Macari
EBM
ECM
ecoustic
ecoustics
Eiko Ishibashi
Electric Lady
Electro
Electronic
Electronic Jazz
Electronica
Elegant Pop
Elvin Jones
Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam
Enossified
Environmental Music
EOY
Eric Dolphy
ESG
Esoteric
ESP Institute
Essential Listen
Essential Listening
Essential Listenning
Ethereal
Ethiopian Jazz
Ethnic
Ethno-Jazz
Event
Events
Exit to Vintage Street
Exotica
Experimental
Factory Records
Faye Wong
Feel Good All Over
Fela Kuti
Fennesz
Festival
Field recording
Films
Fingertracks
Fingetracks
Fishing with John
Fishmans
Fleetwood Sound Company
Floating
Floating Points
Folk
Folk Funk
Folk-Rock
Fonts
Footwork
Force Inc.
Four Tet
Fourth World
France
Frankie Knuckles
Free Improvisation
Free Jazz
Friends of ISC
Frippertronics
Frozen Section Radio
Fundraiser
Funk
Fusion
G-Funk
G.S. Schray
Gal Costa
Gamelan
Garage Rock
Garrard
Gems from the Dollar Bin
Geographic North
George Duke
George Martin
George Oban
German techno
Gifts
Gilberto Gil
Giorgio Moroder
Glam Rock
Glitch
Gogo
Good Neighbor
Gospel
Grado
Graham Sutton
Graphic Novel
Grateful Dead
Group Sounds
Growing Bin
Guide
Guitar
Gwo Ka
Gypsy
Habitat Ensemble
Haçienda Club
halloween
Hard Bop
Hard Rock
Harman Kardon
Harold Budd
Harp
Harry Nilsson
Haruomi Hosono
Hawaii
headphones
Heavy Metal
Henry Lewy
Herbie Hancock
hi-fi
hi-NRG
Hidden Gem
Highlife
Hip Hop
Hip-Hop
Hiroshi Yoshimura
history
Holger Czukay
Holiday
Hollywood
Holy Grail
Home Listening
Home Theater
Hong Kong
House
Human Head
Hypnotic
Iasos
Ibiza
IDM
Illbient
Illustration
Improvisation
Impulse!
In Conversation
In Stock
India
Indian
Indian Classical
Indian Raga
Indie
Indie Rock
Indigenous music
Industrial
Ingmar Bergman
Installation
Instrumental
International
International Anthem
Internet Archive
Interview
Irish folk
ISC Classic
ISC Collection
isc guide
ISC NYC
ISC Record Store
ISC Selects
Island Records
Isolation
Italian Film Music
Italo Disco
Italo House
Italy
Jackie McLean
Jah Shaka
Jamaica
James Baldwin
Jangle Pop
Japan
Japananese
Japanese
Jasmin Williams
Jazz
jazz funk
Jazz is Dead
jazz kissa
Jazz-funk
Jazz-rock
JBL
Jeff Mills
Jeff Parker
Jessica Pratt
John Coltrane
John Fahey
John Martyn
John Peel
Jon Hassell
Joni Mitchell
Judee Sill
Jungle
K-pop
K. Leimer
Kankyo Ongaku
KEF
Keiji Haino
Keith Haring
Keith Jarrett
Kid-Friendly
Kikagaku Moyo
Kim Yaffa
Kitty Records
Klaus Schulze
KLH
Klipsch
Kofi
Kompakt
Kora
Kosmiche
Kosmische
KPM
Kraftwerk
Kranky
Krautrock
Kruatrock
Kuduro
kwaito
L.Shankar
La Monte Young
Labels We Love
Lafawndah
Laraaji
Larry Levan
Last Resort
Laswell
Latin
Latin Jazz
Laurel Canyon
Laurie Spiegel
Leaving Records
Lebanese
Lee Scratch Perry
Left-field
Leftfield
Lena Horne
Les Baxter
Lester Bowie
Library
Library Music
Lifted
Lijadu Sisters
Liquid Liquid
Listening
Listening bar
Listening Party
listening room
Listening Session
Live Performance
Live Recording
Live Video
Lo-Fi
Loose Ends
Loren Mazzacane Connors
Los Angeles
Lost & Sound
lost and sound
Louisiana Blues
Lounge
Lounge Lizards
Love Songs
Lovefingers
Lovely Music Ltd.
Lovers Rock
Luaka Bop
Mad Professor
Magazine
Mali
Mandopop
Marantz
Marcel Duchamp
Marcella Cytrynowicz
Marcos Valle
Mark E. Smith
mbaqanga
McCoy Tyner
McIntosh
Media
Meditation
Meditational
Meditative
Melancholic
Mellow
Melody As Truth
Meredith Monk
Metal
Mexico
Miami
Michael Franks
Microhouse
Mid-Century
Miles Davis
Milford Graves
Mille Plateaux
Mills College
Minako Yoshida
Minimal
Minimal Synth
Minimal Techno
Minimal Wave
Minneapolis Sound
Mixes
Mixtape
Mizell Brothers
mo wax
Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs
Modal
Modern Classical
Modern Soul
Modular Synthesis
Moki Cherry
Mono
Mood Hut
Mort Garson
Motion Ward
Motown
MPB
MTV
Munich
Music Blog
Music from Memory
Music Interior
Music Therapy
Music Video
Musician Magazine
Musique Concrète
Mute
Mwandishi
NAD
Narrative
Naya Beat
Neapolitan
Neneh Cherry
Neo Soul
Neo-Classical
Neptunes
New Age
New Islands
New Jack Swing
New Music
New Orleans
New Wave
New York
News
Nico
Nigeria
Nightmares on Wax
Nina Simone
No Wave
Noise
Non-Profit
Northern Soul
Now Sound
NTS
Nubian Pop
Nubian Soul
Numero Group
NYC
OBI
Obscure
Obscure Sound
Occult
On Screen
On-U Sound
online radio
Opal Records
Opera
Optimo
Organ
Organic
Organic Music
Ornette Coleman
Ortofon
OST
Oswalds Mill Audio
Outernational
Outsider Pop
Overtone Singing
Painting
Painting with John
Pan Sonic
Pandit Pran Nath
Paradise Garage
Pastoral
Pat Metheny
Patrice Rushen
Patrick Cowley
Patrick Shiroishi
Paul Horn
Paul McCartney
Pauline Oliveros
PBS
Peak Oil
Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Pensive
Percussion
Peru
Pharoah Sanders
Phillip Glass
Philly Soul
Piano
Piero Umiliani
Pioneer
Pioneer Works
Plantasia
Plants
Player Piano
playlist
Playlists
Plinth
Podcast
Poetry
Pole
Political
Polygonia
Pop
Pop Art
Pop not Slop
Pop Rock
Popp
Popul Vuh
Post Bop
Post Rock
Post-Punk
Post-Rock
Power Pop
Premiere
Prince
Private Press
Pro-Ject
Producer
Productions
Professor Longhair
Prog Rock
Progressive
Progressive Rock
Prophet-5
Proto-techno
Psych-folk
Psychedelic
Psychedelic Rock
Psychic Hotline
Psychic TV
Psyhedelic
Punk
Qobuz
Quadraphonic
QUARK
Quiet Storm
R&B
Radio
Raga
Ragas
Rap
Rare Groove
Ras G
Rave
rca victor
Receivers
Record Club
Record Fair
Record Plant
Record Store
Record Store Day
Record Stores
Record Stores We Love
Record Stories
Red Hot Organization
Reggae
Reggaeton
Reissue
Reissues
Releases
Religious
Remix
Retrospective
Robert Wyatt
Roberto Musci
Robin Guthrie
Rock
Rocksteady
Roland
Roland Kirk
Rolando Chía
Roller Skate
Room Recordings
Room Treatment
Roots Reggae
Rotary Mixers
Rough Trade
Roy Haynes
Rudy Van Gelder
Russia
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakmoto
Sacred
Sade
Saint Etienne
Salsa
Sam Gendel
Samba
Sample
Samples
San Francisco
Sawako
Saxophone
Sci-fi
Scott Gilmore
Séance Centre
Seefeel
Sensual
Serbian Disco
Shackleton
Shamisen
share
Shibuya-kei
Shoegaze
Silver Apples
Simeon Coxe
Simon Reynolds
Singer-Songwriter
Sisters with Transistors
Ska
Sly & Robbie
Smooth Jazz
Soft Rock
Solid State
Songwriting
Sonia Pottinger
Sonny Sharrock
Sophisti-pop
Soul
Soul-Funk
Soul-jazz
Sound & Vision
Sound Art
Sound Collage
Sound Installation
Soundsystems
Soundtrack
South Africa
South African
South America
Southern Soul
Space Rock
Spain
Speaker
speakers
Spiritual
Spiritual Jazz
Spoken Word
Squama Records
Staff Picks
Steely Dan
Stereolab
Stereophile
Steve Guttenberg
Steve Roach
Steven Halpern
Stevie Wonder
Stina Nordenstam
Stoner Rock
stores we love
Stories
Streaming
Street Soul
Strut Records
Studio One
Substack
Sugar Plant
Sun Ra
Sunn O)))
Supergroup
Surf Rock
Surround Sound
Susumu Yokota
Suzanne Cianni
Suzanne Kraft
Suzanne Langille
Swamp Rock
Sweetback
SYNG
Synth
Synth Pop
Synth-pop
Synthesizer
Synthwave
Taarab
Tadanori Yokoo
Takoma Records
Tangerine Dream
Tannoy
Tape
Tapes
TD-160
Technics
Techno
Techno Pop
Tel Aviv
Television
Terry Callier
Terry Riley
Test Pressing
The Armed
The Beatles
The Books
The Broad
The Fall
The Loft
The Meters
The Mizell Brothers
The Music Center
The Necks
The Orb
The World Stage
Theater
Thelonious Monk
Third Side Music
Third Stream
This Mortal Coil
Thomas Fehlman
Thorens
Tim Sweeney
Time Capsule
Todd Rundgren
Tone Poet
Tonto
Tony Wolski
Too Pure Records
Toshimaru Nakamura
Total Luxury Spa
Traditional
Tribal
Tribe
Trip-hop
Trish Keenan
Tropical
Tropicalia
Tuareg
Tube
Turntable
Turntable Lab
TV
UK
UK Jazz
Ultramarine
Underground Resistance
Underrated
Val Wilmer
Vandersteen
Vangelis
Vanity Fair
Varia Instruments
Velvet Underground
Vice
Video
Video Art
Vince Guaraldi
Vintage
Vintage Audio
Vintage Gear
vinyl
Virginia Astley
Visible Cloaks
Visual Art
Vivien Goldman
Vocal
Vocal Jazz
Vocoder
Wackies
Wah Wah Watson
Walearic
Wally Badarou
Warp
Water
Water Damage
Website
Wendy Carlos
Werner Herzog
West Africa
West African
Western Acoustics
Windham Hill
wiring
World
Wrecking Crew
Yacht Rock
Yamaha
Yann Tomita
Yasuaki Shimizu
Yellow Magic Orchestra
Yma Sumac
YouTube
Yu Su
Yukihiro Takahashi
Zamrock
Zither