Audio Research Reference mkII 2 Black Face Plate Fantastic Tube Sound

The Reference series from Audio Research is one of the most successful line of preamps from any manufacturer. Each new flagship preamp in the line was always consistently better than its predecessor. Such consistency is rare in the audio World. The original Reference 2 preamp was a highly revered preamp and when the MKII version came into the market, it set a new benchmark again. Imaging, focus, clarity and soundstage was unreal. In the quiet stages of any music, the dark background was so absolute, you could literally feel the depth behind it. Overall presentation was very lively and dynamic. Compared to our other Conrad Johnson ART preamp, the Audio Research had a more exciting demeanor. The Conrad Johnson, while very good sounding was a bit more reserve, more stately sounding.

It will be clearly obvious once you have spent 2 hours with the preamp why this is so highly revered around the World. This is a truly World class preamp that brings the level of musical enjoyment up several notches. This unit is in very good condition. Some minor signs of wear but that's it.  Tube complements are 6x 6H30, 1x 6L6 and 1x 5AR4.  It has an upgraded 120VDC output jack that provides continuoue control voltage from the Ref 2.

This unit has the very desirable black face plate and was cleaned and retubed by ARC recently and the unit has hardly been played.  It has a fantastic sound.  The above price includes shipping