Why the SP-11 mkII? For me, it's one word: iconic. That's a word that gets thrown around in audio circles a lot. Whether talking about the Linn LP12, Levinson ML2s, original Quads, etc., there's a defining group of products that are nearly synonymous with their makers and the course of high-end history. I'd make an argument the SP-11 belongs on that list. It is as foundational a piece of gear as I can name, not only in almost single handedly redefining the ARC house sound, but also being THE critically hailed benchmark that served notice to send the entire industry in a new direction away from the overly warm and cuddly tube sound, toward far more neutral clarity and depth. Even within ARC's own legacy, there's still an active debate among enthusiasts to this day, whether the SP10 or SP11 is the better/more important preamp. You can obviously tell what my vote is. But I think it's frankly less about which one any given listener prefers (they're both REALLY good btw), and more about the fact that they're special enough to still be having that discussion 35+ years later.
You can probably rightfully question any review from the period, just for the context of what the SP11 was being compared to at the time. However Ken Kessler and Jeff Dorgay did a comparison several years ago between the SP11 and some of the much more current offerings that might be instructive. "Equally the SP11 would in no way be mistaken for a solid-state preamplifier, yet it offered the precision, silences, and precise bass attributed to transistor control units. I also recall the phono stage was an utter delight, especially with MCs of relatively high output that could exploit its 47k-ohm setting and work well with its 76dB of gain. It was and is a magnificent device... an all time great." - Ken Kessler."I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Kessler that a mint SP-11 is not at all out of place in a modern system today... In the context of a six figure system, the SP-11 holds its own with the Ref 5SE/Ref Phono 2 SE that I use as daily reference units... And the phonostage is fantastic. It's wonderful to revisit this concept of a great linestage and phonostage all in one chassis, much to the chagrin of the wire barons. I defy you to find anything this good built today for anywhere near this price." - Jeff Dorgay I'd submit that the above conclusions are no accident. Within its two chassis, the SP-11 contains a robust, triple regulated(!) power supply worthy of any medium size amp, a linestage with 200kHz bandwidth built around William Johnson's patented hybrid gain block (consisting of a triode as the load for a unity gain source-follower P channel JFET in a cascode-like circuit), and a hybrid four stage phono section with up to 76dB of gain, 100kHz bandwidth, and the RIAA equalization achieved through a global shunt feedback loop. While many may consider ARC gear to be rather utilitarian in appearance, it is built like a tank including very high quality 32 position detented Alps blue velvet pots, as well as niceties like front panel cartridge loading (from 3ohms - 47kohms) and the novel separate controls for gain and level, which, while a little counter intuitive at first, offer unprecedented control in achieving the lowest noise performance across a wide variety of sources. Why THIS SP-11 mkII? First off, with just a few more than 3,000 combined of the mkI/mkII originally ever built and sold around the world, I think this one is as close to new, right out of the box condition as you will ever see. I'll let the pictures do the talking and am happy to answer any questions. But with the exception of one shallow, tiny dink on the top right edge, it is staggeringly original and pristine in every way... right down to the little gray feet that look like they came out of some government parts bin, and not so much as even a single snag on the braided jacket of the power supply cable. Not even any dust. Second, this one has just been treated to a complete service by a tech with more than 30 years of experience. The power supply electrolytic caps have been replaced with exact modern equivalent Sprague axial types with the same values/voltages/tolerances (a couple of the originals had started bulging), all the controls have been cleaned and lubricated, etc. About the only functional criticism I can level at it is I've found it is sensitive to a.c. quality and grounding. In my system here, it sounds like a million bucks but I've never been able to totally banish the last bit of noise (ARC recommends in the manual to connect the audio chassis and power supply with a ground strap, which does help in a big way). That said, I've also tested it in a friend's system and it is quiet as the grave, even without the ground strap. Again, happy to answer any questions there. I haven't listed here a ton recently, but this is one of those I'd love to see stay here rather than put it on Ebay and have it end up in Europe or Asia somewhere. You can check my feedback on USAM (same User ID), Audiogon (User ID = Markraile) and Ebay (User ID = Mfectd_2007) and I think you'll find I grade very conservatively and work hard to under promise and over deliver. There are NO regrets on this one. I do have a copy of the owner's manual. I don't have the original box, but have a lot of experience in packing fragile vintage electronics for safe shipping. Asking $3550 + shipping/PayPal (if applicable) or best offer. Will only ship it within the continental U.S. to your registered PayPal address. Local buyers are welcome to see/hear it prior to purchase (with appropriate virus precautions) or alternatively I am willing to meet within a couple hour radius of Columbus to transact.
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