audio research sp-10

Hello,

I owned the SP-10 for 8 years (1987-1995) and for phono playback, even with the rolled off frequency extremes, a noise floor a bit too high, and mediocre resolution, it was a most incredibly musical component. It took me many years to find something (LS5II/PH2) which had all its strenghths .... and so many of its weaknesses dramatically reduced.

Once I heard the LS5 line stage did I finally realize how poor was the SP-10's line stage. For the first time did I learn that CD playback can be enjoyable.

If you are truly focusing on CD playback, I simply can not recommend the SP-10. But it could very well be a great phono stage that drives (through its tape outputs) a modern line stage.

Concerning the use of the high gain switch position, listen with both and choose the one that works best for you. Newbee is correct that the 12db is an attenuator setting so this surely will cause some loss in the world of "transparency". But there is no "wrong" in using either setting as one position may allow for more fine level adjustment or perhaps the other will allow you to have the volume control around 12 o'clock which is often reported by members here to be preferred for less coloration caused by the volume pot.

Look for the ultra-low noise tubes for the phono section. I used RAM tubes for this and they worked so well. Perhaps RAM Labs still sources such 6DJ8/6922 tubes. Every 6 months or so, as the phono stage became sensitive to noise, I bought another pair or quad, put the new ones in the phono stage and moved the old phono stage tubes to the line stage.

The SP-10 is anything but bright so you can surely eliminate it as a possibility for this trait. If you're system is a wee bit bright, I have found Cardas Golden Cross cables to tone this down and bring on a little more warmth as well.

John

Newbee, I never made the effort to try other tubes in the SP-10 like you have. This perhaps would have helped a little with the 10's line stage performance, but the RAM tubes worked so well for me in the phono stage. I must have been a lucky customer of RAM tubes.

When I heard the LS5, it was so far ahead of the 10 that simply could not be entirely due to tube rolling. And in fact, when I got the LS5, I still had some RAM tubes which I used later on and they worked very well.

Yes, there were rave reviews on the 10 back in the early to mid 80s. But this was relative to its competition at that time. Keep in mind that all the reviewers at that time were using LPs as their primary source and for the most part, they could not stand the sound of CD playback.

Anyone who claims the 10's line stage (CD) capabilities to be excellent or even very good simply has not heard the incredible products from the last 10 years. But indeed, when used for phono, it has incredibly magical abilities like very few phono stages out there.

I can only imagine what an overhaul of this unit by Great Northern Sound could do to its capability. But the LS5 and PH2 outperformed the 10 in phono and by quite a large margin. By the time you got an 10 on the used market (typically running at around $2200 and who knows why!), and then paid for the upgrades, etc., for an overhauled 10, I feel you could be so better off to go down a number of other paths with newer products. If I sound very critical of the 10, it is only because I feel it was optimized for phono and because products like the LS5, PH2, BAT5i, BAT31SE, BATP10, AesthetixIo, etc., take music presentations to a whole new level that once you hear this, there's no going back to the 10. But for 8 years for me, for LP playback, the 10 had no competition....including the SP-11. For a full unit preamp, the CAT SL might just be the ticket.

And I have to smile and laugh at synthgirl's comment that the LS2 had no magic compared to the SP-10. I absolutely concur! When I sold the 10 I was sure the LS2 (along with the PH2) would be what I had wanted as a major "upgrade". The LS2 was hands down the most disappointing audition I ever had. I guess this was due to my great expectations. But hearing the LS5 minutes later at the same dealer brought back that awesome SP-10 magic but with refinements all over the place. The price scared the heck out of me but once I heard it, I knew I had found what I had been searching for. I just coudl not understand how ARC had products that sounded so very different: the LS2's analytical and sterile presentation and the LS5 with it's SP-10 like bloom and harmonic richness. The fact that Stereophile gave both these units a Class A rating was absolutely ridiculous!

So if you're only looking at CDs as a source, or other line-level sources, I would recommend that you sell the 10. From what these sell for, and if you want to stay with ARC products, you can get an LS5 MK III and you will never look back. Even the MK II in the $1500-1800 price range is a steal.

John

Wow! I think synthgirl is absorbing a lot of ideas here is a very short time. It was never my intention to put any negative spin on the SP-10. Afterall I owned it for 8 years so that has to tell you how much I liked this product. I was only trying to make you aware that what you have, for the sake of playing CDs, you could make a change to your system at no added cost and gain an incredible amount of improvement. The other point I wanted to make was that the SP-10 can not at all be the cause of any bright or forward characteristic to your system. It has a laid back top end which allows you to hear the magical mids even more....almost too much of a good thing except for us ambience and bloom fanatics.

And yes, I also forgot to mention how fortunate you are to have this music system at the start. The sound quality you now have took many of us 10+ years to achieve.

Concerning the LS5, it came out I think in late 93 or early 94. In late 94 the Mk II came out which had a lower noise floor and changed to use 10 6922 tubes. In 1997, after the Ref1 came along, much of what was gained from this was put into a LS5 III. This had reduced gain and 8 6922s. So many people I met and talked to here in Minneapolis preferred the LS5 III to the Ref1. Do a search here for the LS5 and you will read what I have written on the differences between the II and the III.

Concerning my system, I have not gotten around to listing my system like so many other members. But the magical ARC PH2/LS5III/DAC3II/VT130 has morphed into AesthetixIo/BAT31SE/ManleyRefDAC/Wolcott. Speakers are Magnepan 3.5. I have two TTs: Clearaudio Ref/TQi/Accurate cartridge and VersaDynamics 2 with Koetsu RWS. A pioneer PD65 is my CD transport which drives a Genesis Time Lens which drives the Manley DAC. All cables are NBS Statement except for the phono cable with is SilverAudio SilverBreeze.

And yes, Newbee is clearly anything but a newbie.

So what was your first question again? 8-)

John

Hey Hey Synthgirl,

If you have not had much success to find tubes, perhaps you can call Michael Elliot, the designer of Counterpoint gear. Go to www.altavistaaudio.com and click on "Replacement Tubes" on the left side of the page. Then scroll down to the 6DJ8 links in the products line. He has grouped tubes with different noise/microphonic levels. Just give him a call as he is very helpful.

Also, I respect LinnLP12's viewpoint that he likes the SP-10, but all the units he compared it to are those at the same time or long before the SP-10. I too heard the SP-8 and Spectral DMC-10 along with the Klyne and Krell PAM3 at that time and for me the SP-10 was hands down the winner. But that was then! Line stages have come a long long way since then (1984). Your focus needs to be on a product that serves CD playback well. Wish you lived here in Minneapolis as I'd be happy to invite you to hear what I am talking about.

Anyway, give Mr. Elliot a call as I think he could help you here.

John