Very good piece in its day and still should be very good.However I would invest in a test bench professional to go thru it and get as much out of it as possible..I think there is a company called "Great Northern" that specializes in upgrades etc on Audio Research vintage stuff.. For what you will invest you won't find anything,thats for sure...
Theres also a company in Framingham,Mass called Natural Sound that has been selling/service for many years.They did a nice job on a SP8 of mine awhile back.They are still around at the same location.....Good Luck
Theres also a company in Framingham,Mass called Natural Sound that has been selling/service for many years.They did a nice job on a SP8 of mine awhile back.They are still around at the same location.....Good Luck