Well, I have a ARC SP10II AND a Mesa Baron! That said, the pre-amp you pick will be determined by what tone you expect to get. The Baron is neutral and can be more like SS except for the presence of tube air and spaciousness. I like my system to err on the warm side and would not recommend an ARC amp later than the SP10II - I'd look at SP8II the SP6 (latter models) and if you want classic ARC warmth, and can give up a bit of resolution, the SP3. If you don't need a phono stage, I would suggest that you listen to an EAR 834L. They are cheap, easy to tube, and sound much like they SP10 (in fact except for the bass, which is better in the EAR, they are incredibly close). I use one in a second system. The differences in ARC pre amps has been discussed at length and accurately in the Audio Asylum forum and I would suggest you do a search there.
Who out there knows about Audio Research Pre's???
Out of all the the used tube pre's which one offers most bang for the buck?Also if it is the SP6 how much odes the A version differ from B-E?I notice a number of LS22's which seem more recent in vintage and list for $4K going for $1500 and they look form back to be fully balanced (though looks/XLR's can be decieving).How old are they and why do they go so cheap.The LS25II seems to be most recent and uses the 6H30 (??) "Super Tube" like BAT.Seems a bit to rich for my blood.But want something to replace my Muse at some point to match with a Mesa Baron and about 10 different spaekrs I will own over next few years.