ARC SP-11 MkII vs. ARC Ref. 1 & the winner is.....

Thanks Jafox, thats exactly, and I mean exactly the way it is. Word for word your statements corroborate all of my findings on said models. Now if we could only swing a Ref 2 and Ref phono,............Frank

I own an LS2 MKII with a D200.
I have auditioned the Ref 1, LS22 and the LS5 mkii at home in my system
The LS5 is clearly more resolving and involving
The Ls2in my system is a hair bright and just doesn't have the musical depth and drama that the LS5 had.
The Ref1 and LS22 are not in the same league as the LS5 but are not as bright as the LS2

unfortunately one has to deal with all balanced inputs to make the jump but I'm off to an LS 5

and I thank Jafox (see post above) for calling my attention to my preamp as my weakest link in my system 6 months ago, it's people like this that make audiogon such a great place to be.

The old SP11's are true remarkable preamps. They have gone out of fashion but that really doesn't matter. At one time, I owned a CAT Ultimate, a Jadis DPMC and the SP11 Mk II. I was able to compare them at my leisure. Overall, I thought the SP11 was the clear winner. The CAT I did not care for one bit. It sounded thin and pinched with absolutely zero tonal bloom even after several months of break in. The Jadis had tons of bloom but softened the leading edge of the attack to the point that it negated the urgency of the music. I will have the chance here shortly to compare the Ref Mk II and Ref Phono to the SP11. It should be interesting.

I have heard the SP10 in my system and thought it was wonderful through the phono section. However, to use a line level input, one has to take it out of by-pass mode which robs the transparency of the SP10 considerably. This is where I think most of the complaints are against the SP10 (along with being hard on the many tubes it uses). With a little work to simply the front panel clap trap, I think the SP10 could one of the best ever.

The SP-11 MK2 is a remarkable product. Especially if you upgrade the caps, install the tube rings and replace the Soveiet 6922's with Siemens 6DJ8/6922 tubes. It has a more "muscular" sound versus the SP-10 MK2's more "romantic" sound. The SP-10 has more of a traditional Conrad Johnson type sound.

Compared to the Ref 1, SP-11 is not as quiet and the resolution is not as good. However, the over-all sound is more pleasant and more dynamic than the Ref 1. Reference 2 MK2 is much better than the SP-11 in every area, even after modifications and NOS Siemens tubes.

I used to think I was just being sentimental, but I still think surprisingly little has improved in audio in nearly 20 years!?!? Hence, my "retro" system.

My SP-11 sounds great, looks great, feels great and I am listening happily to my system every day for the first time since about 1980.