Dit gaat over de sp9 mkIII Zeer open en luchtig en een enorm realistisch geluidsbeeld. Dit is muziek beleven inplaats van luisteren heel aangenaam Tube rolling is zeker de moeite waard bij deze amp. De Phillips SQ E188cc is een geweldige combi (tip) Gitaar en stem geluid uitmuntend in combinatie met mijn tannoy kingdom niet twijfelen maar kopen voor het geld op de 2de hands markt koop naar mijn mening niets beters!

jammer dat er geen ab bij zit maar daar is mee te leven

I love this pre-amp even though to some it may look a bit industrial due to its size and construction. I replaced the 6DJ8's with Mullards along with tube dampeners and gave them a good run in. It sounds absolutely great with all of my equipment and is not at all fatiguing when listening over long periods. My primary source is still CD but I do also listen to my LP's due to the very decent phono stage. If you are looking for a great preamp and do not have bottomless pockets this would certainly have to be on your shortlist.

I cannot fault this in any way as it has been better than any previous one I have owned but they have all been transistor based (Musical Fidelity MVT the last one I owned). Make sure you match your output from pre to Input voltage on your power amp

Sounstage Resolution Warmth

Not having a remote is a weakness, after talking to the tech, I'm glad I don't have one. If you know what I mean!

This review is for the SP/9 MKIII. I had the pleasure of listening to the MKII.Still a great pre amp but the MKIII is leaps and bounds ahead of the MKII. This pre amp is by far the best I ever listen to. This is with in the 32 years of enjoying this hobby. I had and tried very hi end pre amps. They were good at what they did, but the MKIII puts you there. I am in Nirvana. This is a must for the serious listener. No this is not for the casual listener or the collector. The MKIII is for the audiophile that wants the best in resolution and soundstage. I matched this with the D400MKII, another very hi end piece of equipment. This combination pushes the envelope for my Mags. I never heard the 3.6r sound so sweet. Again, if you see this product on the market, get it. You will done with your search for a solid pre amp. I was very lucky to get mine from an employee of Audio Research. In mint condition. I switched tubes, sovtek to the electra harmonix. Much sweeter sound and more bang for the buck. Mullards and Amperex are in a class of their own, and yes excellent tubes as well. The MKIII easily can retail for 8-10k. It's that good!

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Krell Mark Levinson Conrad Johnson Jeff Rowland

As above

None

Price is in pounds BTW The SP9 ( this is for the MK 1 )was a significant upgrade compared to anything else that I had heard, but when you look inside, the reason for this is fairly obvious. The components used in the SP9 are all of the highest quality, which is very re-assuring when parting with your hard earned, but if you do, it's an absolute steal. I doubt that I will ever part with the SP9, and wish I had listened to this pre-amp a long time ago, it would have saved me a small fortune The sound is wonderfully open and imaging is accurately portrayed. Then there are the dynamics. The SP9 doesn't rob the music of it's drama, an all too common occurance with most pre-amplifiers. This means that each performance retains the excitement, tension, joy, sadness etc In other words the emotional impact of music remains intact. For this to happen, you need depth and refinement and the SP9 has extended bass which is well controlled and a sweet treble that never fatigues. The phono stage is as good ( if not better ) than some separate phono stages I have heard costing a grand. The line stage is the closest I have heard to plugging directly into the power amp. Build quality is of the highest standard. It's solid construction, soldering and hard wiring is meticulous Looks may not be to everyones style. I think they're Ok, but who cares. At the end of the day, I want to hear the music the way it was recorded, and this is the closest I have heard. In the UK you may be able to find one from time to time for 600- 700 pounds, and for the this amount of money, it's one helluva of a bargain. Five stars no question.

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Most Naim NAC gear, Audible Illusions M3A, Conrad Johnson PV10a, EAR 864

Musicality, details

None

I had used the ARC SP9 MkII with a couple of solid state amps with success before I acquired a pair of Quicksilver 8417 mono amps. With the Quicksilver tubed amps this hybrid preamp has really exuded its musical character that combines the attributes of tubes and solid state. Hooked up to Sonus Faber Concerto Grand Piano speakers, this combination can offer a relaxing listening experience. This hybrid model mates well with tubed amp.

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NAD 1020, Dynaco PAS 3 MkII

Soundstaging is incredible,alots of bloom,well built,simple stage designs that offers a clean pathway ..

No balance inputs,no remote,hard to fine a mint condition one at a low price..

A true classic that never goes away,I owned the original SP9 and was very impress with its sonic "signature",excellent bloom and detailed separation of the notes,abit of a quick roll off at the extreme elements,great phono stages and excellent built.Simple designed that offers a pure look into the music,very detailed soundstage and wide and deep,abit shadowly at the height aspect but does distract from the over all listening pleasure...great amp that ages with time and can used as a "reference" pre-amp in many systems...

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Sonic Frontiers,Pass,Krells

Musicality. A very good phono stage.

No balanced in- or outputs.

Having used the SP9 mkII for 9 years I for one am enthusiastic about it. The amplifier is sweet sounding, smooth and holds its own in the lower octaves. It is sensitive to differences in tubes - tuberolling can yield intersting results. The preamplifier has kept up with the continuing improvemenst in the rest of the system. The SP 9 mk II is a sensible choice, especially given the low prices on the 2nd (or 3rd) hand market.

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NAD 1020, Copland 301, Music Reference RM 5, ARC LS2B, ARC LS3B, QUAD 405-2, Futtermann OTL amplifier, ARC VT 100 mkII

Reliable..., Superb built...,Amazing sounding! Take my MC cartridge easy & clean... I ONE word... SUPERB!!!

NONE!!!

Hello! I live in Israel. Together with my also Gifted Dynaco Stereo 70 Series 2 by Panor, + our family "Vintage" JBL "Hartsfield", the power paralled for Mono use..., the sound is with one word only: SUPERB! O fcourse I change the original fitted Chinese tubes for the very rare Amperex white label 6922 PQ Pinched waist...! And... you can imagine... Thanks for read my review! ALEX!

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Canadian made, Audio-Design PM-100 Vintage Marantz 7c Vintage McIntosh MX-110 Tuner-Preamp

Puts music first and foremost

Some power amps don't like the high output of the SP9, though you could use an in-line attenuator if this is a problem

This review is for the MK I, and not the nearly identical MK II. The SP9 is one of the most musical pre-amps I've yet to hear regardless of price. Being a dealer of used audio equipment, I've been fortunate to hear all sorts. The system that this pre-amp is used in is of prime importance. The output of the pre-amp is high, too high for some power amps, though perfect for a pair of QUAD IIs. Most pre-amps are not at their best at the extremes, so very high gain power amps may not prove a good match. My personal system comprises Nottingham Analogue Hyperspace Naim CD3.5 with Hi-Cap Kef 105/2s ( also tried 104/2s ) SP9 MKI Pair Quad IIs Naim interconcects and speaker cable The stock tubes in the SP9 MKI were not the best, and these were improved in the MKII, but still not as good as the NOS Mullard ECC88 tubes that I had installed in mine. The sound is sweeter with these tubes, and more involving. This has a noticeable impact on stringed instruments, which become more natural sounding. The previous reviews are a good indication of how easy it is to believe that something sounds better or worse, if someone else says so. I have heard the MK1 up against the MKII in a blind test with 3 other like-minded anoraks . We all came to the same conclusion when blind listening, none of us could tell which we preferred more. What we were able to distinguish was the difference between the MK1 with the stock tubes and the MK1 with the Mullards. Maybe this is the main audible difference. I don't intend to offend MKII owners, merely stating the observations. I have listened to this combination for the last 3 years, and I love it. The pre-amp has more synergy when partnering with equipment that tends to the warm and colourful ( ie I preferred the Quad IIs to a Quad 606 ) The phono stage is very high quality, and suits MC and MM outputs. I have been able to use cartridges with outputs from 0.3 mV up to 5mV. It's hard to describe when the sound is right, why it is right, but you still know when it is right. My cherished vinyl recordings sound like the analogue tapes. The separation and sound stage are the first things that you notice, the next is the lack of fatigue when listening for long periods, though clarity and detail is there in abundance. The used value of the SP9 is unbeatable compared to most of the competition in this price category. In the UK, the going rate is about 600-650 pounds. I preferred the SP9 to the Audible Illusions M3A, all things considered, this is a bargain.

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Audible Illusion M3A Audio Note M7 Ear 834P Croft Vitale SC

Build, resolution, musical.

Phonostage is not switchable - plenty of gain for my MC though. Can solder caps to the Phono stage to match load as reccomended by AR.

Bought this s/h on ebay UK as I was looking for an 'end it all' phonostage/preamp. I only listen to vinyl and I've never had valve kit before. This is a MK I black front etc and the sound is stunning! Build is exemplary - I would not hesitate to buy this amp again if I was in the same position. Does not sound like a valve amp - warm, fuzzy, bloomy clipped bass? Euphony? Forget it it's clean, neutral and detailed. It has an extended sparkling top end, taught (but not over tight) bass but more importantly its very musical. Who said the Yanks can't build Hifi....