LS 15 is far better than my old McIntosh MC712. It's a 5 stars preamp.

I recently traded-in my highly rated solid state preamp for an LS15.I don't know whether to attribute the difference to vacuum tubes or
ARC's engineering, but the sound is so good that I find myself smiling
when I listen to my CD's! The smooth treble invites me to listen at a
higher volume than before, and as a result I hear things on my CD's
that I never heard before. My biggest complaint is that I spend too
much time listening to music now.

If I could give it ten stars I would.

It took over one year and four different brands of pre-amps to audition, including the ARC LS-20, to arrive at a decision. Overall the LS-15 beat the socks off the Levinsons, Krells, etc. For the price there, in my opinion, is no better line stage amplifier in terms of musicality, presentation and macro-micro dynamics. One would have to go into the stratospheric priced pre-amps to actually find a competitor. Also, the ARC VT-100 is the perfect mate.

This line-stage replaced an ARC SP-11 Mk II which I have for ten years. My experience with ARC has been excellent and have had no reliability issues including a D-125 (owned for 9 years), and PH-3SE.
This line stage is far superior to the SP-11. In a nut shell, its transparent with a full sound. Extension and the frequency extremes is excellent. Soundstaging is highly satisfactory.

When I moved from the US, ARC coverted the unit to run on 240V. It runs flawlessly, albeit with a much smaller setup.

Great product and a reasonable value.

I have been using the LS-15 for two years and the PH3SE for approx. 7 months. I only have positive remarks about the LS-15. I have had the opportunity to borrow (audition) my neighbor's CAT (1995 version)for 3 months as well as a ARC Reference One (1997 version)for a one week period prior to the final purchase. All three units I listened to were 'broken-in'. I reviewed comments from high end audio magazines such as TAS and FI as well as other sources. I concluded that for the money, the difference in these units ...was minimal ...in particular the CAT vs the LS-15/PH3SE combo where as there was a very little decernable difference. I chose the ARC because of the corporations reputation as a final decision making tool. I would have been happier with the REF if money was no object. The LS-15 has been outsatnding and as it has aged , it's sound stage , it's front to back definition, it's presentation of the music , have all improved. Further auditions with the above neighbor's CAT convinced me of this. Two final thoughts.... (1) I have had the good fortune to have had auditioned these products in my home for an extended period of time. I do not believe I would have reached the same conclusion if I had the experiance in a show room. I know I made the right choice for myself. My neighbor still loves his CAT best, but validates my experience. (2) I have a separate No. 10 wire 110 volt 20 amp line from my electrical box to my audio system. Nothing else is on the line to interfere with this power supply. I use ESP Power cords to the Units. I believe once I had installed this , it provided a unique platform to judge preamps and amps.

This is an excellent pre-amp, a huge upgrade to my previous ARC LS-1. The human voice has a natural warmth, while strings are rich and harmonious. Transiants are quite good, though not as sharp as solid state preamps like the Krell KRC-3. However, in my system (Wadia 23, Ayre V-3 and Thiel CS2 2), ARC is a perfect match with that added warmth and richness. If you own a LS-7, LS-2 or SFC SFL-1, don't listen to the LS-15 unless you are prepared to spend $3k.

Warmth sound

Horrible Sovtek Tubes

I had owned this unit for nearly two years. Well, it was not a good experience at first. It sounded much better than LS7 but overall blurry. Than one day, one of my audiophile friends loaned me a couple of Siemens ECC188. Man, I suddennly realized that tubes are everything in this amp. I then bought a pair of Siemens ECC188 and a pair of ECC88 of the same brand. But I found that four Siemens tubes into LS15 make the sound became too lean (for my taste). Currently I am using a pair of Siemens ECC188 and a pair of Tesla 6DJ8 for LS15 and I am happy with the way they sound. I was told that Bugle Boy or Miniwatt 6922 will bring LS15 old "tube like" sound to your system but I never tried. Maybe some people will prefer this type of sound. Anyway, this pre-amp is a very fine gear. But make sure you throw those Sovtek 6922 out of your window (just joking).
My system includes the followed:

Philips CD850
ARC LS15
Marl Levinson 331
Thiel CS3.6
NBS Stingher
Audioquest Ruby (Balanced)
MIT Terminator2.

LS15 will earn a 5 stars from me if Sovtek tubes were replaced by better ones.

Similar Products Used:

ARC LS7

I was not so lucky with my AR gear. Firstly, my LS-15 inverts absolute phase. I wrote to the factory about it, with no result "Our products do not do that...". Anyway, I invert the loudspeaker cables and that settles it. (I also had to do this with the Sennheiser HD 600 via Musical Fidelity headamp).Secondly, the VT 50 I use with the preamp burnt down after 1/12 years. I virtually burnt!. First, the fuse blew. Then thick black smoke came out of it, then flames... All this during background music. The AR company is still deliberating on what to do with that incident, but my trust in AR products is gone. Fine sounding amps though...

Well, If the LS15 gets 10 reviews, all fives, it will get into the HALL OF FAME WHERE IT BELONGS, so I shamelessly appoint myself the "decider". I've been an unrelenting audiophile for 20 years, and haven't heard any equipment that can make music come alive like Audio Research can, at an almost reasonable price. Somehow, ARC electronics remain neutral and natural while letting the excitement and emotion of the music come through.
After slogging around in the $300-500/component swamp for many years, I set a limit for myself of $1000-1500 per component, and listened to ARC's, Bryston, Rotel, naim and other equipment in that range, but when I listened to the LS-15/PH3/Linn TT combo, I knew I had to have it. Hey, it even has a FULL-featured remote control! It cost twice my limit, but nothing sounds so complete, dynamic, and uncolored. I will never need to upgrade. I also have the PH3, and decided on a VPI TT, instead of Linn. What a great combo, and so many useful controls and inputs/outputs for the money! Ok, no balance knob or mono switch, but no big loss.

Next, an ARC amplifier...or TWO!!