Dear stereo brother , when ever you tire of it , pls sell it to me . Thank you . My email : minhsanhvinh@yahoo.com.vn . i also have a website : www.loamay.com .

Wes Philips reviewed the LS-22 and compared it to a Krell (SS) preamp and later to the Conrad Johnson Premier 14.

Wes liked it, but in comparison to the CJ and the Krell, he thought the ARC to have a little too much emphasis in the 2-7K range that could make some discs sound too bright. It measured really well, but TJN found that if you don't disengage the balanced option while using the normal inputs it would result in truncated upper frequencies.

All the usual ARC virtues seemed to apply to the LS-22. But, Wes really, really liked the CJ...and obviously still does.

The ARC shouldn't be picky about sources or amplifiers as the impedence numbers are not weird. Something that you might experiment with, though. Wes actually preferred the SE inputs over the balanced and there is a difference in gain between the two. The SE inputs provide about 12db and the balanced about 18db. There seems to be a trend toward the former rather than the latter and 12db is becoming almost normal as people have tried to balance the virtues and problems with passive vs active preamps.

Maybe that helps until someone who has one chimes in.

The take I got on Wes' review is that the ARC is a fine preamp with a lot to like, he just liked the CJ more. The ARC is a hybrid type of preamp and probably doesn't have the tube liquidity that an all tube design usually has.

Depending on the type of music you listen to and the rest of your system, you might have a really good match with the ARC. But, if your average quality discs are sounding too thin and hot, the ARC might be a contributor.

If you like the sound now then forget about it. You might swap the ARC for whole new set of things that you like better and things you like worse. That's not always a good trade.

Monty has it right. It has been a while since I heard it, but even if the LS-22 was the worst sounding Audio Research preamp ever (and it wasn't), the worst ARC ever made is still pretty good company to keep.

I don't know what else you're considering, or what price you've been quoted, but the LS-22 is noting to sneeze at.

I have an LS22 that has the remote control option, in black. 

I love it! 

I have an ls7 mkII also, it has no remote, and I have the ls22 in my main system.  It does anything I ask of it, and more.  I think it sounds wonderful.

Yes, it has some "air" in it, I think they all do, love your ls-22, I think, to my ears, that it sounds every bit as good as a ref-5, at a third the cost...

For tubes, it has 8, yes, 8 6922/88c's in it.  I don't think it's a hybrid design at all!  Not sure who really thinks it is one.  I think it sounds as good or better than my ls 7 mkII does. 

At this point, they are an investment that I believe will only rise in value.

Please note that there are some ad people out there making negative comments about gear they actually want to purchase, and they've actually went as far ast to set up scam websites to purchase that gear, and publish false price information about the gear.  They'll put up fake prices to make people dump gear at lower prices.  The ls 22 is an item some of these people are targeting.  Be happy that you own gear that's good enough to have people doing nutty things like this to!

Worst ARC Preamp ever? Well, it was only made for 1 year...hmmm?

greenelec wrote:

Thanks again for the responses. Wes, I do like the sound of my system. I guess I have been tempted by used prices of LS-25s, and even Reference 2s that I have seen lately. I was feeling insecure with my LS-22 because of some things I have read on the net lately.
Thanks again to all!

I have had several Audio Research preamps over the last 30 years, and there are definitely some that are good-sounding, some that are really not very good, and some that are incredibly good. Alleging that they are all very good is a big mistake; it just ain't so. I have owned and listened to many of them, and have first-hand knowledge.

I also knew an AR dealer very well for a number of years, and his opinions (based on extensive listening) are part of the basis for my opinions.

My LS-26 is one that is incredibly good. If you can find a used one at a reasonable price, jump on it. They are hard to find, however.

The fact that AR only made the LS-22 for one year SHOUTS that they were not happy at all with the design, nor were the dealers and consumers. Compare it to an LS-26 or LS-27, and you will find that there is a HUGE difference in sound quality.

The LS16 and LS17 are also very good, but not quite as good as the LS26/27.

The LS1 is another one to avoid; I had one, briefly, and it is not good-sounding at all.

The LS2 and LS2B are very good. I had the LS2B for many years before I got the LS26. The LS15 is essentially a slightly upgraded LS2B, and is very good. An LS2B that can be had at an attractive price can be a good way to go.

NOTE-

Most AR preamps can be made to sound significantly better by upgrading the output coupling capacitors. This made a HUGE difference in the sound of my LS2B, which was good to start with, but installing 1 uF Dynamicaps in the output of the preamp in place of the originals really gave a major upgrade in the sound quality. (note-SOME of the later production of the LS2B came with the Dynamicaps installed at the factory, but ealier ones came with other types.)

These caps are expensive, but AR uses them in the LS26 and LS27, and they make a heck of a difference. They cost around $50 each, but they are really worth it.

PartsConnexion sells them. There may be other sources.