Audio Innovations L2 classic valve line preamp

dunkyboy · Jan 30, 2006

A classic of the '90s, this particular example is in good condition - there's some wear on the paint of the knobs and the odd very minor scuff mark, but other than that it's perfect. Sound is wonderful, with full but not bloated bass, wonderful tonal colour (not colouration but instead the antithesis to that solid state bugbear of tonal "greyness"), great dynamics and timing, and that wonderful holographic valve presence and lucidity in the mids and top end.

I recently had a head-to-head shootout between the L2, the EAR 834L and ATC CA2 (which I owned at the time), both of which are very highly regarded. One look at my sig below will tell you which one came out on top! I'm currently auditioning contenders for its replacement and I've had to rise to the $3000/£2000 ballpark to get a worthwhile improvement!

Valves are currently Golden Dragon I believe - don't know the vintage but sonically they're perfect. I've heard that it takes well to tube rolling.

Until recently there was also the option of sending it off to the legendary Border Patrol to have it substantially updraded for not a lot of money. BP have since moved to North America, but I believe they have an agent who still performs the upgrades. See HERE for more info. Audio Note also have a thing or two to say about tweaking the L2, as seen HERE. Clearly if you're into tweaking your hifi, this would be a great bit of kit to work with.

I don't have the original box, so collection is definitely preferable. Plus you get to hear it up and running beforehand if you like. Demos more than welcome!

Looking for £400 collected or £450 delivered (to cover hassle and delivery costs - I will pack it well), though may consider offers (particularly if collecting!)

If interested or if you have any questions, please PM me or email me at me (AT) dunkyboy (DOT) com.

Cheers,
Dunc

P.S. - Will post pics and full list of inputs/outputs/features as soon as I get the chance.

dunkyboy · Feb 2, 2006

Some pics (apologies for the dust and the mediocre image quality!):

As you can see in image no. 3, the L2 has four outputs, a tape loop, and two preouts. It also has high and low gain settings (might come in handy, but sound-wise, I think the high setting is a tad better).