After contemplating for a while, I’ve decided to put this baby for sale. This was my prized preamp and I was really happy with it. Then another very rare opportunity came up locally and I purchased the big brother of this awesome preamp, the ARC Ref 2 Mk I w/ GNSC reference level mod. How could I resist! So my good fortune is now your good fortune.
Don’t get me wrong. This preamp is a killer in its own right. I am the second owner. The first owner had sent it to GNSC for the mod, and before it was even broken in, traded in for something else at the dealer. I couldn’t believe when I saw this for sale at the time, so I contacted Steve Huntley to get an inside scoop. He confirmed that the unit had received the reference level mod and indicated that the unit had just left his shop no more than a month prior. It was still breaking in the first few months that I was using it.
When I first got it, I brought it to do a side-by-side comparison with a stock ARC Ref 2 Mk II at a friend’s house. Although it was not a fair fight as the Ref 2 was on a $$$$ Grand Prix Audio Rack, hooked up to an expensive Shunyata powercord, while the LS-25 was sitting on the floor, using a zipcord. The panel of “judges” all felt that the Ref 2 had more speed, grander scale, and micro-dynamics. But that the LS-25 won in the area of midrange warmth, and PRAT. The difference wasn’t huge, but still noticeable in a side-by-side comparison. Of course, at the time, the cost of the mod was $1,700. So buying a used LS-25 Mk I and get the mod was still cheaper than the cost of an used Ref 2 Mk II. With the cost in mind, two people voted for the Ref 2 Mk II, and two people voted for the modded LS-25 (I did not cast a vote).
I would conservatively rate the LS-25 a 7/10 overall due to age and some minor black paint coming off along the edges of the box, and the handle. The faceplate is otherwise in perfect condition. See pictures.
A note about Great Northern Sound Company (GNSC). GNSC was in business for many years modding mainly ARC and Wadia gear. Steve Huntley was the owner and head tech. He had worked for a number of years at ARC and knew the gear/design intimately. I’ve been a fan ever since I heard the side-by-side comparison of a stock vs. reference level mod LS-5 years ago. He had recently closed his shop and joined another company, so although you can still get support from him, he does not provide mod services anymore. So these modded units are becoming collector’s items.
The mod consists of three large blackgate cans in the power supply, AC filtration, V-Cap OIMP caps bypassed by V-Cap TFTF caps as coupling caps, Caddock resistors in the signal path, Stealth rectifiers, damping of chassis, critical caps, circuit traces, and other areas where vibration is detrimental to sound quality. I’ve included a picture of the innards of a stock unit for comparison.
The sound of this modified original LS-25 compared to a stock LS-25 MK-II is that you would hear a lot more detail and resolution with this modified unit (simply has way lower distortion), and you'll hear a much quieter background that the music emerges from. Munch more bass weight and dynamic capability and I guess overall just more involving. It preserves the significant sonic strengths of the LS-25 sound…while I feel effectively improving upon the weaknesses. This modded unit is just really well balanced and sounds great with any music style." With 6DJ8/6922/7308 tube type, the sound is not as “fast” or “cold” as the 6H30 super tubes. It retains some of the classic tube warmth, and you have the ability to tweak the sound by rolling the tubes.
At the asking price, the Preamp will come with the 4 Siemens 6922 tubes that Steve had included with the mod. I’ve always prefer Amperex tubes ever since I was using LS-1, LS-2…. I had given these Siemens about 10 hours total just to get a flavor, but have primarily used various Amperex tubes from my collection. The Siemens 6922s have been tested in my TV7-D/U to ensure they are in good health. I will also include a Hi-Fi Tuning gold fuse + stock fuse.
Also includes original remote control. It works, but like every other ARC remote (made in China or Korea), after sometime, they start acting up. Sometimes you need to rotate the batteries, or just push the button a few times to wake it up. I had switched over to a Logitech remote for daily use for all my ARC preamps a few years back after it was recommended by other ARC users. The Logitech remote works on volume and switching channels. But it doesn’t have all the functions on the original remote. So I keep the original nearby in case I need to use it for something. I don’t have the original box anymore, but will pack this in a double box with heavy padding.
Asking SOLD plus shipping to CONUS. If using Paypal, please add 4% to cover the fees. I will ship FedEx ground insured and supply tracking number.
Please email or PM with any questions.
