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In Reply to: RE: ARC sp3 or sp6 posted by n.buzzard@hotmail.com on February 07, 2015 at 19:04:09
The SP16 could be thought of as the modern incarnation of the SP6 (as I have been told by an ARC tech). I have one with the built-in phono stage and its classic ARC - super quiet background with a touch of 12AX7 warmth and excellent tone. It also has a nice remote control. You could probably find a used SP16 in good working order for less than a SP6 that will need an expensive trip back to the factory for refurb.
The SP16 also responds well to NOS tubes and an upgraded power cables. And an upgrade of the output coupling caps takes the SP16 to a whole 'nother level.
Follow Ups:
I followed the advice of a fellow inmate Paul Tobin. See his original post below. I did up the value of the new caps from the stock 1.0 to 2.2 as I had room, the difference in cost wasn't much and the increase in value was supposed to improve the quality and extension of the bass region.
I used Clarity Cap MR's with no bypass and had my ARC dealer install them. The caps were $100 with tax and shipping and my dealer only charged $93 to install (I get the loyal customer service rate).
I had the SP16 for 5 years before I did this and loved it but love it a lot more now! Amazing how much this improves an already very good preamp. Easily the best 200 dollars I ever spent on a hardware upgrade. Very happy and will be keeping the SP16 for a very long time.
If you go this route the caps will sound good right out of the box and then just keep getting better for the first 100 hours or so. You'll be smiling the whole time.
I have an SP16 that I use with the VS55. I am extremely satisfied with the combination. I would be very interested in your experiences with upgrading the coupling capacitors. What brand and value did you choose, etc. Thanks
I use a SP 14. I upgraded the coupling caps (.47 I believe) to V-Caps Teflon and the difference was major. A great upgrade for vintage ARC pre-amps.
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