A funny thing happened on the way to writing this review. Actually it was a good thing. I wrote several reviews with the Brainwavz M2 In-Ear Monitors (IEMs) playing music from my iPhone at a low volume. The volume had to be low because if it was at a normal listening level, the music was too distracting to concentrate on writing the reviews.

Making quick judgments about the sound of a new component is dangerous. Those snap judgments are usually just a comparison to another component and are subject to change as the listener gets to know the new component better over time. For a new component, being definitive is often being silly.

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”.