Audio Research LS28SE Special Edition Pre-Amp
Audio Research announces its latest anniversary special edition, the LS28SE pre-amplifier.
Audio Research continues to celebrate its 50th anniversary with the news of its special edition LS28SE pre-amplifier. Of course, the festivities started in December last year with the Reference 6SE and Reference 750SEL amps and then the REF Phono 3SE Pre-Amplifier which became available last month.
Today we bring news of Audio Research's improved line stage pre-amplifier, the LS28SE (€11,500). Building on its LS28 predecessor, the Special Edition model follows suit in not offering a phono stage; however, it is said to benefit from engineering experiences gained during the recent creation of the company's Reference 160 Series amplifiers.
INTERNAL UPGRADES
In a similar upgrading exercise to how the manufacturer tackled the REF6SE and REF PH3SE, ARC has replaced the standard wires and components with superior-quality items which all add up to "elevate the LS28SE's performance to an entirely new level", says the US brand. Amongst those improvements are the same proprietary gold coupling caps used in the Reference 6SE amp.
Naturally, the foundation of the ARC LS28SE remains the original's vacuum tube analogue design centred around four 6H30P dual triode valves and performance that includes a quoted frequency response of +0-3dB, 0.4Hz-200kHz at a 200k ohms load. Audio Research also lists THD+Noise at less than .007% at 2V RMS BAL output.
ARC LS28SE OPTIONS
The LS28SE's menu enables you to control numerous parameters, including input naming, tube hours, auto shutdown, and home theatre passthrough. Of course, phase invert and mono functions are still offered as standard.
Connectivity options include four balanced XLRs and four unbalanced RCAs for input. You also get two XLRs, two unbalanced RCA and recording outputs.
The Audio Research LS28SE will begin shipping later this month, and as of July, you can upgrade your LS28 to the LS28SE spec for €2,500. Otherwise, it's €11,500 all-in.
For more information, visit Audio Research.
Jay Garrett
StereoNET’s resident rock star, bass player, and gadget junkie. Jay heads up StereoNET as Editor for the United Kingdom and Europe regions. His passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.
Posted in: Hi-Fi
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