Recapping an ARC LS-5 mkiii


So I have done an exhaustive Internet search on this, and have some answers (but not all).

Every piece of audio gear I have from the 80's and 90's has had some sort of issue and needed mods and/or repairs. Some of this wasn't audible, but showed up when the equipment was put on a test bench.

Every piece of classic/vintage equipment I have (Aragon, Sonic Frontiers, Audio Research) has been updated except for my LS-5 mkiii preamp. With ARC gear, I know lots of people tend to think of them like classic cars and look down anything ARC didn't do originally.

At the same time, I know ARC offers a Stealth Cap upgrade (roughly $800 IIRC) and I also know Steven Huntley at GNSC used to modify ARC gear (including the LS-5), but I can't really find anything out there on what that process involved.

I am interested in getting the Stealth Caps done, however, outside of that, I don't want to change the sound signature too dramatically (like shoehorning an LS V8 motor into a Mazda RX-7). I'm sure there are some gains to be made (Rel Caps to Infinicaps?), but want to make sure I do things the right way.

BTW, the preamp sounds good (to me), but as I've learned, that doesn't always mean it would test completely within spec.

Thanks in advance.

atlvalet

Showing 1 response by triode12

Changing coupling caps isn’t modding if you are changing caps with the same values. I did that with my ARC LS5 Mk2 by an ARC authorised tech local to me. Changed the caps to TRT Dynamicaps which greatly improved the SQ.

Modding is when you change the value of the caps to something else or other components on the PCB or PSU to different values.