Audio Research LS25 Mk II vs Ref 1

Well, not the Ref 1, but the Ref 2 mk1 vs. the LS25 mk2.

First, keep in mind the Ref 1 and Ref 2 mk1 use the traditional 6922 tubes whereas the LS 25 mk2 use the newer 6h30 tubes. They do sound completely different. The 25 mk2 is very dynamic and with lots of detail. It sounds similar to a SS piece, with little bloom. Everything sounds very "crisp" with the 25 mk2. The Ref 2 mk1 however has lots of bloom, is dynamic, (although not as much as the 25 mk2) and gives more of a laid back presentation. Don't get me the wrong, the LS25 mk2 is very good, however it all depends on your musical tastes. The Ref 2 mk1 beats the 25 mk2 in bass extension hands down. Probably due to the two massive toroid transformers vs. the smaller transformer used in the 25.

If you are used to SS pre's, then the LS25 mk2 might be a good mixture between tubes/SS. If you are wanting the traditional "tubey" sound of the 6922's, then the Ref 2 mk1 is very hard to beat. (Keep in mind, I have never heard a Ref 1).

Good luck.......

I owned both the LS 25 mk2 and a Ref 2 mk1 at the same time. The LS 25 is more dynamic than the Ref, however it suffers from the bloom that makes tube equipment so special. I did do some cable swapping on the Ref 2 and it made the dynamics and resolution improve quite a bit, but it is still not as dynamic as the LS 25 mk2. The Ref 2 mk1 does have more body and bass slam than the 25. I think the next step for you would be a Ref 2 mk2 as I spoke with Leonard at ARC a couple of weeks ago and he said the Ref 2 mk2 is even more dynamic than the LS 25 mk2. I ended up keeping the Ref 2 mk1 as I prefer the whole sonic presentation over the LS 25 mk2, especially with my Maggies.