JosephCoty

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Price Paid:  $1500.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
I've owned this preamp for several years and I've come to think of it as an old friend. As the cornerstone of my system it has helped me connect with my music in a very intimate way sometimes rolling tears down my cheeks. If you haven't experienced that level of intimacy with your music, this preamp is a good place to start. To squeeze more from the platform as it aged I quickly went all balanced which really lowered the floor. Eventually I used a NOS Bugle Boy 6550 tube made in Holland which really warmed things up. This past year I've used a Telefunkin CCA which is increasingly rare and insanely expensive but it has really spread out the soundstage while preserving crystal clearness in detail. I have the LS2B MKII.

My System:
Audio Research VT100 MKII Amplifier
Audio Research LS2B MKII Preamplifier
Meridian 508-20 CD Player
Vandersteen 3A Signature Speakers
Shunyata Anaconda and Python power cables
Transparent Musiclink Ultra Speaker and balanced interconnects.

Similar Products Used:
Adcom 565, Audio Research Reference II

snootybiffer

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Price Paid:  $1.00 from Audiogon

Summary:
What a great piece of equipment! I have had well over 40 preamps in my audio pursuits, but the LS2 has finally had the sound that I have been looking for! The soundstage extends well beyond the speakers, detail and richness galore! the vocals are simply incredible! Male and female. All the instruments are precisely defined! This unit has increased my listening time to an extra 3 hours a day. I used to have the LS15 and it is a good sounding unit also but it doesn't have the magic that the LS2 has. The icing on the cake is that there is only one tube. If it sounds this good with the Soviet tubes, I can't imagine what it will sound like once I begin tube rolling! If you ever have the opportunity to get your hands on one of these, it would be well worth your while. I traded a PS Audio PCA-2 preamp, which I held in pretty high regard. I read the reviews here for the LS2 and decided to take a chance. It made the PS Audio sound like a boom box!
I have a basic system with a Krell KCT-100, Meridian 508.24, KEF Q60 speakers, PS Audio XLR cables, MIT RCAs, PS Audio Extreme Statement bi-wire speaker cables.

Strengths:
Detail, voices, bass, excellent highs, sound stage, clarity, layered instruments. The direct mode bypasses everything making the unit extremely quiet and detailed. One tube! Audio nirvana!

Weaknesses:
I have the no remote version but once you start listening, so what, I can still live.

Similar Products Used:
Audio Research LS-15.
Krell KRC-2
PS Audio PCA-2
Sim Audio
Classe' DR6
Audio Research LS1

Jokke

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from trough ebay

Summary:
Inspired by the last review on the Audio Resaerch LS-2B (by electronicsprof2), I have tried to upgrade my own LS-2. Through the upgrade process i have some experiences that might be of some help to others that are about to give it a try or just are curiouse.

I have also upgraded my LS-2 with DynamiCaps as output caps and the improvement in soundquality was dramatic. I can´t compare my "new" ls-2 to the ls-16 mkII but my overall verdict is that changing the output caps is very much worth the money spend. The best describtion of the improvement is that the amp sounds much more fresh and engaging -more like a new amp again. It sounds faster, much more transparent and the tube-sound is more revealed -not that there is more tube-related distortion; don´t worry the amps bautyfull balance is kept! -It is more like everything that sourronds the tube just sounds better and more transparent and therefor the tubes charateristics is more revealed -which also means that you probably will hear if your tube isn´t good enough or is burned out....

As my ls-2 isn´t the balanced version I only had to change the two yellow 5 uF REL-CAPS placed in the middle on top of the mainprint(Some versions could have the withe InfiniCaps instead). I chose to use the 4 uf Dynamicap as it was to be better than the 5 uF version. I was also told that the design of the DynamiCaps illiminated the need for the small 0.01 uF bypass caps mounted below the print -so they were to be removed. This proved not be true in my case as In ran into problems -I installed the new caps and chose their direction to be the same as the old ones and removed the four 0.01 uF InfiniCaps below the print. Result= better midrange, better bass (but not as deep as before) and the downside: borring treble that seemed to roll off!!!. Then I installed the small 0.01 uF caps again and the treble was back in the game! This was a quite cheap and very efficient upgrade that probably would satisfy most people. Now the the ls-2 sounded much faster, more detailed and at the same time more organic. BUT when I was to be totally hornest, the overall soundreproduction wasen´t totally cohrent as the treble seamed to be a little harsh compared to the midrenge and the bass hasn´t got the same deepbass-impact as before. Quite small downsides that problable only will be audioble in demanding systems. It seamed to be caused by the quality difference between the old infiniCaps and the new DynamiCaps and the smaller value (4 uF instead of 5 uF) of the chosen Dynamicaps.

Second try -I ordered another pair of 4 uF dynamicaps and 4 x 0.01 dynamicaps. I I installed them (all in parrallel ) and now the bass was kicking deeper, faster and more powerfull than before. Sweet. But the treble seamed to roll of again -almost as when I had removed the small bypass caps.... The I became curriouse. Could it be that the new dynamicaps should be installed with the opposite direction than the old caps... I tried to reverse the direction and WOOOW -it worked! The output was much more cohrent than it ever had been and the total bandwith was vastly improved.

Verdict:
Go fore it!
If you are the owner of an ls-2, then don´t hesitade to upgrade it -2 x 4uF Dynamicaps only costs around 60 USD and You´d be amaized! -You can experiment with the direction of the caps and try with and without the small bypass caps -You might only need the 4 uF´s.....

BUT if you want to go further use another pair of 4uF and four 0.01 uF´s and you´ll get a preamp that sounds at least twice as good as the original ls-2;-)


Afternote:
I can´t say that the DynamiCaps needs the small bypass caps because it could be the case that I simply had them installed reversed and therfore they seamed to roll of the treble.

My value rating conserns the upgrade with four 4uF caps and four 0.01 caps.

My overall rating conserns the upgraded ls-2. The original ls-2 would only have earned 3½ stars.



Thanks to: electronicsprof2

electronicsprof2

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 5.00 votes

Price Paid:  $3000.00 from Optimal Enchantment

Summary:
I HAVE USED THIS LS2-B FOR 8 YEARS NOW, AND HAVE ALSO RECENTLY PURCHASED AN LS16 MARKII. THE LS2B IS A GOOD UNIT, AND I HAVE RECENTLY FOUND THAT IT CAN BE MADE TO SOUND MUCH MUCH BETTER, WHICH IS THE REASON I AM WRITING THIS, AS A SERVICE TO OWNERS OF THE LS2 OR LS2-B. THE STOCK LS2-B DOES NOT SOUND NEARLY AS GOOD AS THE LS16 MARK II, BUT CAN BE MADE TO SOUND ALMOST AS GOOD BY UPGRADING THE OUTPUT COUPLING CAPACITORS. THIS IS A REALLY COST-EFFECTIVE HUGE UPGRADE.

THE LS2B CAME WITH MULTICAPS IN THE OUTPUT; THESE WERE THE BEST AVAILABLE 8-10 YEARS AGO, BUT AR NOW USES INFINICAPS, WHICH MAKE FOR MUCH MUCH BETTER SOUND QUALITY. THE LATEST OF THESE IS BRAND NEW, AND BY FAR THE BEST YET; IT IS CALLED DYNAMICAP. I UNDERSTAND THAT AR USES THE DYNAMICAP ON THE REFERENCE 3 AND THE NEW LS26, BUT I HAVE NOT PERSONALLY VERIFIED THAT. I RECENTLY INSTALLED THE DYNAMICAPS IN THE LS2B, AND IT NOW SOUNDS ALMOST AS GOOD AS THE LS16 MARK II ! THE STOCK LS2-B SOUNDS NOWHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS THE 16, BUT WITH THE DYNAMICAPS INSTALLED, THE DIFFERENCE IS VERY SLIGHT. THIS IS A VERY WORTHWHILE UPGRADE; YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT THE IMPROVEMENT; IT IS REALLY HUGE.

THE ORIGINAL CAPS WERE 5 uF IN THE UNBALANCED OUTPUT, C42, AND 1 uF IN THE INVERTER SIDE FOR THE BALANCED OUTPUT. THEY SHOULD HAVE USED 5uF ALSO ON THE INVERTED SIDE (C49) FOR FULL RESPONSE DOWN TO 2 HERTZ, BUT SPACE MAY HAVE FORCED A COMPROMISE THERE. THERE ARE ALSO HF BYPASS CAPS OF .O1 uF IN PARALLEL WITH EACH OF THEM, WHICH ARE NOT NEEDED WHEN YOU PUT IN DYNAMICAPS. JUST REMOVE THEM.

I USED 2uF OF DYNAMICAPS FOR BOTH C42 AND C49, WHICH IS LARGE ENOUGH TO PROVIDE FULL BASS RESPONSE DOWN TO 8 HERTZ, AND CORRECTS THE IMBALANCE OF THE ORIGINAL SETUP FOR THE BALANCED OUTPUTS.
THE ORIGINAL C42s ARE THE BIG WHITE 200V RATED ONES AT THE LEFT AND RIGHT OF THE TOP MAIN BOARD AREA (THE .01s ARE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BOARD). THE C49s, IN THE BALANCED INVERTER STAGE, ARE LOCATED AT THE VERY REAR OF THE BOARD, UNDER THE INPUT JACKS.

BECAUSE THE DIAMETER OF THE 2 uF DYNAMICAPS IS VERY LARGE, I ACTUALLY USED 8 OF THE 1uF DYNAMICAPS; I SOLDERED 2 IN PARALLEL TO GET 2uF AND THEN INSTALLED THAT PAIR AT EACH OF THE FOUR LOCATIONS.
I PUT ALL OF THE NEW C49s ON THE TOP OF THE BOARD WHERE THE 5uF WERE, AND THEN THE NEW C42s ON THE BOTTOM OF THE BOARD, WHERE THE BYPASS CAPS WERE, BECAUSE IT IS REALLY TOUGH TO GET IN THERE BELOW THE INPUT JACKS WITHOUT ACCIDENTALLY BURNING SOMETHING WITH THE SOLDERING IRON. THE BOTTOM OF THE BOARD WORKS FINE FOR THOSE.

FOR AN LS2, YOU ONLY NEED HALF AS MANY CAPS AS FOR AN LS2-B, OF COURSE.

IF YOU ARE NOT AN EXPERIENCED TECHNICIAN, WITH GOOD SOLDERING SKILLS, YOU SHOULD HAVE THIS DONE BY SOMEONE WHO IS ABLE TO DO A GOOD JOB WITHOUT ANY DAMAGE TO THE BOARD WHEN DESOLDERING THE OLD ONES.
THE 8 1uF DYNAMICAPS RAN ME ABOUT $140, AND OF COURSE THERE WILL BE A LABOR CHARGE IF YOU HAVE A TECH DO IT FOR YOU. (OR YOU COULD JUST SPEND THE $3500 FOR THE LS16 MARK II. THE MOD IS A LITTLE CHEAPER!!!)
I GOT THE CAPS FROM PARTS CONNEXION IN CANADA, BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF SUPPLIERS WORLDWIDE. BE SURE YOU GET THE ONES RATED FOR 425 VOLTS; NOT THE LOWER VOLTAGE ONES INTENDED FOR SPEAKER CROSSOVERS (TOTALLY DIFFERENT DESIGN AND SOUND QUALITY).

ONE OTHER NOTE; THE LS2B, IN MY EXPERIENCE, SUFFERS A MAJOR DROP-OFF IN SOUND QUALITY AFTER 1 YEAR/1000 HOURS OF TUBE USAGE. DON'T NEGLECT TO PUT IN NEW TUBES AS NEEDED, AND USE ONLY THE BEST QUALITY LOW-NOISE TUBES TO KEEP THE SOUND QUALITY UP TO PAR.

ENJOY!!!

Strengths:
ON A SCALE OF 1 TO 10---

STOCK LS2-B = 6 TO 7

STOCK LS16 MARK II = 10

MODIFIED LS2-B WITH INFINCAPS = 9 TO 9.5 (DEPENDING ON TUBE QUALITY)

Weaknesses:
NEED TO USE BEST LOW-NOISE TUBES (I GAVE UP ON BUYING CHEAP TUBES...I HAVE ABOUT 30 OF THEM...THE ONLY ONES THAT ARE CONSISTENTLY GOOD TO MY EARS ARE THE ONES FROM AUDIO RESEARCH).

Similar Products Used:
LS16 MARK II AND SP-9 (SP-9 IS 2 OR 3 STEPS BELOW THE STOCK LS2-B...NOT VERY GOOD)

jwsb

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Private

Summary:
This is now my reference preamp. Fairly neutral but offering great midrange bloom. As with any ARC this also benefits from retubing depending on your direction. I love this preamp. There's no nonsense and despite having other options available, I always go back to this as my reference. Spatial information in on point. You can even hear the opera singers moving from left to right with great accuracy. Amazing depth and palpability. Accurate dynamics and transient response. Tight and controlled bass. It's there! Excellent bandwidth This preamp is worth every penny and more. Miles ahead of the LS7 and a more robust and fuller sound than the SP9Mk 2

Strengths:
All of the above

Weaknesses:
Would be nice to have a detachable power cord.

Similar Products Used:
Audible Illusions Modulus, ARC SP9 & LS7, Precision Fidelity, Le tube, Pragon etc.