Has anybody heard the new Audio Research LS 27?

No manufacturer that designed a great circuit the 1965, from a 1940s recipe would still be in business selling the same thing - even it was as good as it gets. While immature technologies evolve quickly, a preamp circuit is not one of them. Better parts with better tolerances and indeed improvements, especially if reliability goes along with it, but preamps, if they are to evolve at al, in terms of sound quality, will do so very, very slowly - digital? well that is another story, we may see significant improvements there. We seem to be wired for the new, and the marketers know that, soap or stereo, and nothing wrong with the fun in all that, but great preamp design was figured out a long time ago IME. New functions geared to dealing with new technologies, well that is a legitimate upgrade to older models that did not contemplate changing sources and connectivity requirements.

i heard it and bought it. from a marketing standpoint it may be too close to the REF at this price point. using with the PH-7 with power supply upgrade. excellent.

"Simply replacing a few parts with newer parts on an old obsolete piece of equipment, will never outdo a new one if the new one's design is different and better."

Funny thing about old obsolete equipment, I was just listening the other day to a friend's "obsolete" highly modified SP-10 Mk 2 with his "obsolete" modded D-115 Mk2. Now I'm not going to say it is up to the latest offerings from this esteemed company but this system is highly evolved and emminently musical and enjoyable, I say the devil is in the details. btw, is it real yet? No doubt it sounds great, happy listening!

I bought my LS-27 8 months ago along with the DS 450 and excellent it has sounded after an initial long burn-in period of about 600 hrs

I just purchased an Ls-27. I have not heard the Ls-26, Ref3 or Ref-5. I was using an Ls-25. For me this is a major upgrade in my system. It sounds so good I can even listen to digital and like it.