Like the original, the Arion Mk.II incorporates a cascaded, discrete JFET input stage followed by a differential-cascaded JFET servo-controlled second stage. A combination passive/active RIAA network provides equalization. The output stage is class-A biased. The designer paid particularly close attention to power supply and the grounding scheme, which is further refined in the Mk.II version.
The Mk.II also features higher–voltage–rated dual-toroidal transformers that are said to produce less vibration and hum while improving dynamics. Also upgraded is the MC input stage, which includes upgraded components, refined biasing, and changes to the power supply regulation and the mute circuit. As with the Audio Relax cartridge, Luminous's sonic description matches what I heard: "a sense of purity and low-level detail resolution that is highly dynamic and musically involving." The company claims the upgraded power supply provides "speed and integrity to the low-end and an absence of texture most noticeable on vocals and on passages with complex stringed instruments."