Audio Research LS9 Review

by James Leahy

Introduction

The LS9 was introduced in 1996 by Audio Research. It is a solid state Line Stage and features remote control function as standard. There are two Balanced outputs and two Balanced inputs included also along with Single Ended input and outputs for all sources.

This model has always been highly regarded as having remarkable quality and flexibility for it's amazingly low price. The LS9 features a physically slim chassis profile for it's size and is built with all the quality we have come to expect from A.R.C.

Construction quality is second to none and as can be seen in the below pictures. The circuit design is well thought out with a very low noise floor being the result.

As with all other Audio Research Line Stages' my testing has shown the Balanced circuitry in the LS9 to add considerable benefits to the sound quality if your other components have the capacity to accept this connection.

In my experience I have found that balanced output is required to successfully drive any of the A.R.C. VT or REFERENCE amplifiers to anywhere near their full potential. I would class this as essential to have in a Line Stage if your power amplifier has this provision you would not want to take the quality hit associated with S.E. interconnects. There is also around +6db gain from balanced circuit in this model when compared to the S.E. circuit.

Audio Research has chosen to use a low-voltage, pure Class A gain circuit with direct-coupled output (no coupling caps are used in the signal path).

                                           Sonic Evaluations

Running my much cherished copy of The Band - Rock Of Ages (Capitol records, 1972) album on the Rega P7, I settled down to evaluate this much talked about Line Stage.

If you've followed my reviews on my website, you will have noticed a pattern: I review tube electronics almost exclusively. So why did the LS9 come my way? Because there is a certain wisdom to mixing and matching tube and solid-state gear in order to produce a musical outcome. The power amps I use exclusively can benefit greatly from the sort of clean, uncoloured signal that a good solid-state line stage can feed them. In turn, the beauty of the tubes can balance the leaner & flatter sound of solid state.

The LS9 is a very neutral and uncoloured Line Stage, that lacks any of the solid-state nasties that have kept my preamp choices firmly in the tube arena. I don’t mean to say that the LS9 sounds like a tube preamp; it didn’t. But neither did it have any of the edgy, dry sound that some solid-state gear still exhibits.

In this review I am not going to compare it to any other Line Stage but simply listen to it and judge the LS9 on it's own strengths and weaknesses. A novel approach I know but it's that we do every time we listen to our systems? How many of us sit and listen just to compare which unit sounds superior.... We are either pleased with the way it sounds or we are not. Life is only as complicated as you wish to make it.

The overall appearance of the soundstage was wide and enjoyable to be sure. With separation being heard through out all movements. The LS9's high frequencies were clean and clear, displaying gobs of detail. With more complex pieces, the LS9 sounded not the least bit etched or bleached. This has been an area where some solid-state preamps have failed in the past, but A.R.C. seems to have figured out how to retain the color and texture. While the lower treble range sounded lean, clean, and distortion-free, it was ever so slightly recessed.

On the other end of the spectrum, the LS9's bass was just about ideal. It was very deep, powerful, fast, and detailed. This was not the over-cooked bass some solid-state circuits produce. Rather, it was very tuneful and made instruments sound real. Rhythmic pace and timing were as good as the source permitted.

A Line Stage has a tough job. At a minimum, it must take low-level signals, pass them through a selector switch and volume control, and then through one or more gain stages to produce a signal that can drive interconnects and a power amplifier, all without theoretically adding any sound of its own. Because the level of incoming signals is low (often only a fraction of a volt), a preamp must also be extremely quiet; any noise it creates will be amplified along with the signal. The volume control is also a big factor. Junky volume controls have been known to degrade a preamp’s sound. Ditto poor selector switches.

Well, if the function of a line stage is to pass the signal through without changing anything except its level, then the LS9 fills the bill. The LS9’s transparency is exceptional. In retrospect, this Line Stage's extremely low noise, colorful tonal palette, and notable dynamic prowess were really features of the products I listened to with it. That's transparency. During the LS9's stay in my system, I never once wished I was listening to a tube line stage, and I haven't been able to say that about many solid-state preamps.

The LS9 is a solid-state Line-Stage that even a confirmed tube head like me could live with.

 

Associated review Equipment

• Amplifiers:         Audio Research REFERENCE 600 Mk.II                     

• Phono Stage:      Audio Research PH5

• Speakers:           ScanSpeak & Vifa Custom

• Cables:              Furutech

• Cartridge:           Ortofon MC Jubilee

• Subwoofer:         Velodyne HGS-15