About LKV Research
LKV Misson
LKV Research offers music lovers great sounding audio preamps and amps at affordable prices. We focus on the characteristics of each component that truly matter for sound quality and use good engineering design and extensive listening to achieve excellent performance without incurring unnecessary cost.
LKV Essentials
At LKV we believe that designing excellent audio components involves three fundamental steps: (1) identifying the necessary characteristics or elements necessary for the device in question to perform well; (2) applying sound engineering principles and techniques to design a component that will achieve those characteristics, and (3) most importantly, listening to a variety of music played through the component over an extended period of time. Based on the results of this listening, we select the best parts and circuit topologies and modify the design to achieve an optimum balance among the key characteristics. The result is a component that well serves the music. The first two steps are the science, the third is the art.
Chief Designer - Bill Hutchins
I grew up listening to live classical music played in our living room by my mother and her chamber music aficionado friends. Really well reproduced violin or cello music still transports me back to the spot on the family’s living room rug where I lay to listen. As a teenager, whenever I could scrape up three or four dollars, I went to the local record store to buy an acoustic folk recording. I wore out every one of those records playing them again and again on an old record player that I now think must have had a chisel for a needle.
Made in America
One of our goals at LKV is to contribute, in at least a small way, to restoring manufacturing in the United States. Our products are designed and assembled in North Conway, NH. We use as many parts manufactured in the United States as feasible, including all enclosures and transformers, most resistors, switches and connectors, and the low noise JFETs used in gain circuits.
FAQs
News and Developments
New products, Upcoming events, Design breakthroughs and major developments at LKV.
26 Apr 2016
Stereophile Review: Michael Fremer says the LKV Veros One phono preamplifier is a "Class A performer" from which "utterly natural" music emerged. Read more.
26 Apr 2016
LKV Research will be demonstrating its Veros One phono stages and preamplifiers in Room 321 at Capital Audiofest July 8-10, 2016. Please join us at the Hilton Hotel at Twinbrook Metro, 1750 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852.
7 July 2015
LKV Research will be demonstrating its Veros One phono stage and its Line One preamplifier in Room 321 at Capital Audiofest on August 28-30, 2015. Full Press Release.
2 Jan 2015
LKV Research announces upgrades to the Phono 2-SB. Full Press Release.
Jan 2015
Enjoy the Music honors the Line One as one of the 20 best of 2014. Full Press Release.
31 Dec 2014
Positive Feedback honors the Veros One as one the best that they’ve reviewed during the course of the year. Full Press Release.
Nov/Dec 2014
Pete Davey of Positive Feedback reviews the Veros One, and concludes, "So, there you have it. The LKV Veros One is now the holy grail of phonostages, in my opinion, and I implore you to try one if you haven't already, there is definitely something you are missing from your system if you haven't." Full Press Release.
Oct 2014
Tom Lyle of Enjoy the Music reviews the Line One, saying that "the Line One sounds more like music than a piece of audio equipment. There is no higher praise." Full Press Release.