Buy an Audio Research SP10 MkII or an SP11 MkII ?

I have owned both and have kept my SP10. it will never leave me as I have not found anything that comes close for my personal taste. When I first received my SP11 many years ago, I fell in love with it. But after a while, there was something about it. I would like to say it was solid state like but I want to avoid that argument. To me, it didnt seem as "real". I ended up selling it and guess what. I didnt even miss it. When I first received my SP10, it had Sovtek tubes in it. I then put in Siemens E188CC and it blew me away. I have owned many tube pieces, some are less sensitive to tube choice. But I always call the SP10 a tube microscope. Changes in tubes make a big difference. If you find the right combination for your tastes, this unit will shine. I love my SP10 and unless financial circumstances dictate otherwise, it will never leave me. I managed to stockpile 2 complete sets of siemens tubes for future use. I have owned an incredible amount of systems and have finally identified pieces that I wont sell unless I have too. With these units, I have pretty much stopped chasing the audio upgrade because I have found units that allow me to focus more on listening than chasing audio perfection. This doesnt mean I have others I dont want to sell :)) I guess you will find many different opinions and there are some reportly good offerings out there from Manley, BAT and others. But I figure I wont do much better spending $2500 on an SP10 compared to $7000 on a Manley. If its worth it to you and you have the bucks, go for it. I wouldnt object to owning a Manley Steelhead. If nothing else but for the support and postings I see from EveAnna backing their products. That is also important to me. But its not in my budget range and these days, i would rather spend the money on picking up music or comfortable chair for listening or more tubes for my beloved SP10. Good luck in your search.

I have to disagree with Jafox on the gain. I am currently using the SP10 with a Spectral MCR at around 0.2 mv. Also used it with other cartridges in that range. While I will agree it will be better with higer output cartridges, I have gobs of gain at 12 oclock volume setting. The real issue is if your amp is not enough power for your speaker sensitivity, then there will be an issue.
On the line stage, yes I think there are better. I personally do not use my SP10 for line stage. But the reason is not sonics. Its tubes. I dont want to "waste" the tubes in my SP10 for non-phono listening. I use a Cary SLP98 for my CD stuff. The 98 has a decent phono stage but not up to the caliber of the 10. Also, one other note. If you plan to make CD from your records, you cant use a low output cartridge on your table with the SP10. That low output is all your gonna get at the tape record terminals. You need high output if you are going to record your vinyl. I make CD /digital of my records for use in my Ipod (great for travel) and for my car.