ARC LS-5 vs SP-10/11 for Plinius SA-102

According to your statement, the LS-15 seems to be a fine choice. In your opinion, are these classics good enough? I ask because this preamp will meet the newest (and the best, IMHO) Plinius power amp and a couple of Sonus faber Cremonas... You also talk about revised versions so I ask: what about the earlier versions, are these still a good bet? The Plinius has balanced inputs, yes. Thanks! Keep in touch.

Hello,
I have not heard the SP10, though it is apparently wonderful. I don't know if it had balanced outputs, but I doubt it given its release date. I owned the Ls5 MKII, and it was fantastic. I have not heard the earlier MK I versions. Also, It is available with a remote volume control. I have seen a couple of these on Audiogon during the past month or so, for around $2000 which is a bargain.
Good luck
Dennis

ARC LS-5 II is one of the most musical of all preamps
on the market. It can also be upgraded to reference
standard through the Great American Sound Company.

tgm: Don't fall in the "newer is better" trap that the manufacturers and mags would like you to believe. My Jadis preamp is from 1995, my Jadis amps from 1990 and I'd stack them up against anything out there. While there have been improvements in parts over the years, ARC is good about updating their units and bringing them up to spec when you send them in for a checkup, and Brauser's point about upgrading through Great Northern(?) Sound Company--I'm thinking of Steve Huntley--is a good cost-effective way to bring a fine commercial design such as the LS-5 (not the 15, I've not listened to that one at length, I presume that was a typo) up to state-of-the-art status if you really want to. I'm not sure how it will sound mated to the Plinius amp, as I've not heard that combination, but in my prior listening with this pre and other ARC preamps they fed solid-state amps with no problems whatsoever. As Blauser says, the LS-5 is a very musical preamp, I think that would be ideal with your speakers, which are designed more for the music lover rather than the "boom and sizzle" crowd.

Hello,

I have commented over and over here about the LS5 II and III and also the SP10. I owned the SP10 for 8 years in the 80s. It was a wonderful preamp for LPs but its mediocre line stage was not worthy of CD playback. And no doubt the line stage affected the ultimate performance for LPs too.

I changed to the LS5/PH2 combination which had all of the magical bloom of the middle octaves but brought on much refinements at the frequency extremes. And the SP10's high noise level as well as much older parts I am sure had much to do with its not very impressive resolution. The LS5/PH2 had much more low level detail. I owned this combination for 7 years until I moved onto the BAT VK31SE/VKP10.

The LS5 MK II is wonderful but it has an exaggerated top end, too much sibilance, which can be an annoyance once you hear the refined MK III. I had both in my home for a few weeks until I sold off the MK II. Contrary to what I have read by others, I heard no differences between these too in the mids, harmonic richness, ambience, etc. The MK III's top end is simply more natural and not fatiguing. But the MK II had a little more bass definition or extension. Whether this was accurate I can not answer. But in either case, since you are not using phono, the SP10 would absolutely be the wrong move here. I know of people who use the SP10 strictly as a phono stage and then drive it into another line stage.

The MK II has 30db of gain which only might be needed for phono users. The MK III comes either as 12db or 18db which is set at ARC or can be changed through resistor kits.

Stay away from the LS2, LS15, LS22. These are not at all in the same league as the LS5. All ARC preamps are not alike!!!

John