Should I consider the newer Audio Research pre & power amps, when I play records not CD's

 Listen to everything you can. Make a long term plan. Synergy is very important. You can have an excellent sounding piece of equipment, but if it is not a good match for your other pieces. It will just sound mediocre. Also do you want the up keep of a tube amp? There is expense in replacing the output tubes every 2000 to 3000 hours.

 Audio Research is some excellent gear. I have owned it since the late 1980's. But like any company some pieces are better than others. The amps made a major change in 1988 with the Classic series. A more modern sounding higher resolution tube amp. These amps can still hold there own against more modern Audio Research tube amps as well as most others. If I was going to choose the best bang for the money ARC amp it would be a Ref 110. An truly excellent sounding amp that can be found used for a really good price. It can run KT120 tubes and has an hours meter. If you don't want to deal with having to replace tubes. I would go with a Pass amp. Some of the best sounding solid state amps I have ever heard.

 For a line stage I would go with an LS25 mk2, Ref 2 mk2 or Ref 3. The Ref 5se is significantly better but used would still be twice the price. They will all mate well either either ARC or Pass.  A phono preamp really depends on the type of cart. For MM a PH5 is a nice sounding Audio Research phono pre. A PH7 if you are thinking MC. Audio Research has always been known for excellent preamps.

 You need to at least listen to Audio Research before making a decision. They make some of the finest sounding gear in the world. I have owned their gear off and on since the late 1980's. I have moved away from them a few times but always ended up coming back after a short time.

  

 I have seen Ref 110 amps going for just over $3500 to a little over $4000. $5000. is high. Browse HiFishark.com. I have owned both a VT100 and VT100 mk3. as well as the Ref 110.  Both are OK amps but not exceptional. The Ref 110 is exceptional. It is also much easier to bias, has a tube hours meter and can run KT 120 tubes. KT 120 tubes will last much longer than 6550s in the Ref 110.  I have owned a lot of Audio Research equipment. If I were looking for an exceptional used ARC amp, my favorites are a Classic 60, a V70, basically a balanced Classic 60. And the Ref 110.  But biasing the Classic 60 / V70 is a pain. Also if you get something too old, you have to think about replacing caps and may need it gone through.


 I really love the LS 25 mk2. I have compared it head to head with an LS27. I was no impressed with the LS27 and thought it not worth the upgrade. It took a Ref 5se to convince me that I needed to upgrade. Both the Ref 2 mk2 and Ref 3 are also much better than the LS25 mk2. Keep in mind that mk2 is very important as they use 6H30 tubes. I really like the Ref preamps because they use tubes in the power supply. I think this makes a big difference.  

 You may also want to consider a Fosgate Signature phono stage A very nice sounding phono stage. All tube and highly configurable for both MM and MC. They go for around 1200 used but can sometimes be hard to find.

 Both the Ref 75 and Ref 75se are a bit better. It is a matter of power. For my Sonus Faber Elipsa SE speakers, I felt the Ref 150 had tighter more well defined bass than the Ref 75. I am sure that is because of the extra power. I really wanted to prefer the Ref 75 because of the meters. BTW the Ref 75 can run KT 150 tubes without a problem.

 I have not heard the VS 115 in a long time. But I don't remember it being better than the Ref 110. Surely not in the same league as the Ref 75 or 75se. Both the Ref 75se and 150se are very impressive. If you mate one of them with a Ref 5se, you would have a system that would be very hard to beat. 

 The Ref 75 shipped with KT120 tubes and the 75se uses KT 159 tubes. But you can use KT 150 tubes in the Ref 75. Like all the fairly recent ARC amps that have vertical tubes. 

 I am not that familiar with your speakers. But I have a feeling something like the Ref 150 will sound a little more open with more well defined base My Elipsa SE speakers are rated at 91 db  sensitivity and minimum 50 wpc. I preferred the Ref 150 to the 75. But the only real way to know for sure is to try them in your system. 

 I had 2 systems. I sold a Ref 2 mk2 to upgrade to a Ref 3. Then the deal for the Ref 3 fell through. I put the LS 25 mk2 from my other system in the main room while I looked for a new preamp. After not being impressed with a demo LS 27.  I took home a demo Ref 5se for the weekend. The next Tuesday morning I called my dealer and told him I did not want to return the Ref 5se. How much would he sell it to me for. The Ref 5se  was that good I did not want to let it out of my system. I had to also sell my beloved LS 25 mk2 to afford the Ref 5se. So now I only have the main system.

 If you have to compromise, I would compromise a bit on the amp. You can always upgrade later. The preamp will have more of an impact on your system. Used the Ref 5se is a real bargain. It is just an incredible oreamp. It is easily twice as good as the LS 27. 

 I also own a DAC8. I am thinking of moving from a computer to an Aurender streamer. Maybe one with a build in DAC. The DAC8 or DAC9 for that matter does not work that well with  Aurender (or Moon) streamers. The nice thing about the Aurender is that it has a 2 TB hard drive so you don't need a computer. You can just copy your music files to the hard drive.

The DAC8 requires software which does not seem to be one of ARC's strong suites. I also own a Ref CD7. The Ref CD7 is very noticeably better than the same CD ripped and played with a computer through my DAC8. The DAC8 sounds best through AES and worst with USB.

 You may want to browse  AudioAficionado.org They have an Audio Research section, B&W section and many other manufacturer specific sections. 

 That is a fair price for a LS25 mk2. I sold mine for $2400  a little over 2 years ago. Ask if the remote works. Audio Research no longer has replacement remotes for the LS25 mk2. It is a wonderful sounding unit. And one of the last of the truly nice classic looking ARC preamps without a display screen. The Ref 5se is suppose to sound best with the display screen turned off. So I never got the whole point of the display screen.

 I use a cheap GUSTARD USB Converter to go from my computer to the DAC8. First keep in mind that the Ref CD7 has a better all tube DAC inside. The DAC8 is solid state. Also there are a lot of variables with computer audio. They are not built to play music. Computers are noisy (RF/EMI) and it takes work to get them to sound good.  The Aurender is a one piece unit with a hard drive that is built to play music. You don't need a computer. If I got one with a DAC, I could get rid of the DAC8, USB converter and extra cables.

 They are truly beautiful. I got a real super deal on my speakers. They were a dealer demo and less then a year old. I don't think they were completely broken in when I got them. I listened to them a few times and really loved them. They are not the type of speakers you bring home for the weekend on a whim. Then I read a review that said. Some speakers sound this way, other speakers sound that way. The Elipsa SE don't sound any way. They just sound like music. I totally agree, I can't see ever wanting to upgrade them.

 Both Aurender and Lumin get great reviews. My Audio Research dealer carries Aurender. I have not had a chance to hear the Lumin. After some research I have come to think that having a hard drive is important. A streamer that plays from a NAS, needs to be hard wired to the network so that it performs it's best. This is especially true with high resolution  (24 bit) files. Otherwise there can be errors and the music can sound choppy at times. 

 A streamer with a hard drive plays off the hard drive. So there is no "real time" performance problems. You can control the streamer from an Ipad. Plus having your music files also stored on the streamers internal hard drive is like another backup. 

Don’t underestimate the Classic 60. It punches way above it’s weight class. One of the reasons is that it use 4 6550 tubes per channel instead of 2. It is a magical sounding amp. It is not as detailed as later amps like the VT100. But it has a presence, a rightness that none of the VT100 models have. It is only the recent Ref series amps that really surpass the Classic and V series amps in a big way.

But because of it’s age you would need it gone through. At least the 4 large caps would need to be replaced. It is also not the easiest amp to bias. Then there is also the problem that a lot of modern cables won’t fit on the speaker strips. If you were to go that way I would strongly suggest the very late version that had balanced inputs or a V series amp. The V series is very similar to the Classic series but is balanced and came with KT90 tubes. 

 All three of the VT100 models have both RCA and Balanced connections. As I remember there is a little switch. The mk1 version has reliability problems. The VT100 amps also difficult to bias. They also can't run KT120 tubes.

The VT series were not one of ARC's better efforts. I bought a  used mk3 when I had to send my V70 in for service. I was very happy to get my V70 back. Though more detailed the VT100 mk3 sounded lifeless. I also had a mk2 in my system for a little while. I never directly compared them, but I think the mk2 is a little better sounding amp. 

 If the choice is between a VT100 (any version) and a Ref 75. The Ref 75 is a much better sounding amp. All of the Ref series amps are in a different league than the VT series. 

 Are there any interesting amps in your for sale used in your area? If so why not ask if you can hear them. Take a look at what else their system consists of. What preamp they are using. There is no substitute for experience. Listen to every thing you can so that you get a better frame of reference. I am good friends with my ARC dealer. I will sometime bring a piece home for the weekend just to hear it. 

 They don't show up as often because they are keepers. But if you take your time and search, you can find one. I have not seriously listened to the LS26. IMO the LS27 is not one of ARC's better efforts.

I see a couple of Ref 5se preamps going for $7000 here on Audiogon. That is a deal at almost half price. The Ref 5se is so very much better than the LS27 it is amazing. It is very special and another one that will be a keeper. There are a lot around because people are upgrading to the Ref 6. But I believe they may also become hard to find. 

 I hope you get the Ref 5se. You will feel no need to upgrade for a very long time. It is truly world class. While the speakers are the voice of your system, the preamp is the heart. It has more of an effect on the sound than the amp.

 With an MC cart I would go with a PH7 or PH8. I don't think the PH5 is a good match for a MC cart. Especially if you decide to go with a low output MC. Right now I a have a Fosgate Signature phono stage and I really like it. It is highly adjustable for all types of cartridges.

 I would go with USB output to a DAC as opposed to optical. 

 Let us know what happens.

 Congratulations! I think you will find the combination just superb.