I have owned sp8 sp9mk11 and sp11.I would say the 8 and 11 are similar with the 11 having much better slam. the sp9mk2 is more lean and closer to a solid state sound in my opinion. I had no problem at all with any 1 unit.My choice would be the sp11 mark 2 if you can get on that has been serviced(factory)recently.Probaby cost 2 grand for a perfect used peice. Just imaagin what this piece would cost in todays market! Hope this helped
Which ARC? - SP8, SP9 or SP11
Which is your vote for best single-chassis preamp w/phono from ARC? I'm quite fond of the warm sounding SP8. Any experience with the various revisions? Reliability issues? - I'm quite aware that certain ARC units are prone to electrolytic leakage.