reviews

Sometimes we are lucky by being in the right place at the right time. In this case, I happened to see the AudiogoN ad for Audio Horizons gear and clicked on the link to their Web site. Seeing the name of Joseph Chow, a long-time audio hardware engineer and a name I recognized, I researched his current products with great interest. In the past, Mr. Chow designed FM tuners for Kenwood and Proton.

There are several definitions of “value”, but one that applies most to you, as a reader of audio reviews, is equipment that provides a proportional amount of enjoyment from the money you spent. In other works, pay a little – get a little enjoyment. Pay a lot – get a lot of enjoyment. Buy the best and the result should be artificial reality in your listening room.

The original Audio Research LS17 preamplifier was released in 2006 with a list price of $3,995. Using some of the same technology as the REF 3 and LS26 preamplifiers, the LS17 was targeted at a lower price point. The SE version hit the market in 2011 at $5,500. The upgrades in the SE version included “new Teflon coupling capacitors as well as other internal performance enhancements”.

This won’t take long.