audio research Ref 6

tdh888

Well-Known Member
Nov 4, 2010
298
28
935
Philippines
Hi ,

The Ref 6 is coming out. Shipping suppose to have started Oct. I hope my local dealer ordered and have the chance to listen to it. Saw it in another forum ( audiogon ) . It has 2 knobs that are similar to the Gallileo series of preamp.

Tdh888
 

Bobvin

VIP/Donor
Jun 7, 2014
1,647
2,916
615
Portland
www.purewatersystems.com

Sharp 1080

Member
Apr 20, 2010
284
9
18
Dallas,Texas
Reference 5 SE are being sold under 10K. I bought one in black. I could not pass up the deal given. I don't like the look of the Reference 6.
 

Attachments

  • 84.jpg
    84.jpg
    150.8 KB · Views: 1,869
  • 87.JPG
    87.JPG
    1.7 MB · Views: 2,295

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,186
1,717
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
Reference 5 SE are being sold under 10K. I bought one in black. I could not pass up the deal given. I don't like the look of the Reference 6.

I picked up one in black too. It sounds AMAZING.
 

tdh888

Well-Known Member
Nov 4, 2010
298
28
935
Philippines
Hi ,

The Ref 6 is coming out. Shipping suppose to have started Oct. I hope my local dealer ordered and have the chance to listen to it. Saw it in another forum ( audiogon ) . It has 2 knobs that are similar to the Gallileo series of preamp.

Tdh888

Hi guys ,

Finally was able to audition the REF 6 & REF Phono 3 together w/ the REF150SE. These system sounds fantastic. Very dynamic, very black background. This system has a great potential, first impression is positive wish I could have listened to it longer .

tdh888
 

Robert < NxLT > Slowinski

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2015
33
6
240
Poland
www.nxlt.eu
I will get the Reference 6 on coming weekend. Used and have only 100 hrs. on it. It will be first Audio Research product for me. It will be drive my Pass XA 160.5. I hoop it will be good synergy. No listening session first ( no dealer have then here) ;-/ I hope it will improve my Pass XP20 in some Tube- sweetness / more organic sound.

Does anybody knows how long will it take to break in ? According some sites 300 hrs. or 600+ hrs. :?
And have somebody data how big in uF – capacity are those gold capacitors ?
 

Elberoth

Member Sponsor
Dec 15, 2012
2,007
252
1,170
Poland
Caps: 600h
Tubes: 400h

All per ARC.
 

JimmyS

Well-Known Member
Sep 1, 2013
163
34
335
Chicago, IL
I will get the Reference 6 on coming weekend. Used and have only 100 hrs. on it. It will be first Audio Research product for me. It will be drive my Pass XA 160.5. I hoop it will be good synergy. No listening session first ( no dealer have then here) ;-/ I hope it will improve my Pass XP20 in some Tube- sweetness / more organic sound.

Does anybody knows how long will it take to break in ? According some sites 300 hrs. or 600+ hrs. :?
And have somebody data how big in uF – capacity are those gold capacitors ?

Looking forward to hear your opinion on the xp20 vs Ref6. Currently have XA100.5's / XP20 and have been thinking about an XP30 / Ref6
 

Cascais

Well-Known Member
Nov 5, 2012
257
2
150
Portugal
I will audition the Ref 6 although satisfied with my 5SE. If I hear a substantial improvement I might go for it but still cringe to remember >400 hours of frustrating break in. Also prefer the clean design of the 5SE compared to the retro look of the 6. Maybe I should just wait for the 6SE.
 

joeinid

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2011
1,543
12
400
NY
The Ref 6 is way better than the Ref 5SE. If you are not prepared to buy it, don't audition it.



I will audition the Ref 6 although satisfied with my 5SE. If I hear a substantial improvement I might go for it but still cringe to remember >400 hours of frustrating break in. Also prefer the clean design of the 5SE compared to the retro look of the 6. Maybe I should just wait for the 6SE.
 

XV-1

Well-Known Member
May 24, 2010
3,581
2,550
1,860
Sydney
Is the name Reference is all quite meaningless with ARC?
 

thedudeabides

Well-Known Member
Jan 16, 2011
2,118
646
1,200
Alto, NM
No bash on ARC but anecdotally, they seem to release new models more frequently than most other manufacturers.

Am I wrong about this or is this just my imagination?
 

Robert < NxLT > Slowinski

Well-Known Member
Jul 13, 2015
33
6
240
Poland
www.nxlt.eu
Hi all ,

I have now 2 days the ARC Ref6 Pre. This is only my opinion so it is my kind of putting in the paper wwhat I experience and compare with. And I must say I’m very impressed by this gear. I was always in love in Tube-sound. But the Tube -effect on some gear what I had listened to was little to slow and sometimes little to sweet to be lifelike reproduction of music. The ARC is never that kind of reproduction. From beginning of listening at 160 hrs on the timetable I was seduction and first hear love. The attack of the bass what I was afraid from tube- gear is sublime. The Bas is lighting fast and very differential. At highs more details stroke me first with the kind finesse that I can remember I first time audition my Aleph -X. Many many more air and effortless reproduction of the sound. Not like correct -sound like my Aleph XP20 , it is music with everything what is music about ! The mids tones are very fine and much meat on the bones. Far better than my old Pass XP20. The XP20 I IMHO good gear for the recording – studio like reproduction. Nothing more than good and correct reproduction. And the ARC Ref6 is IMHO the gear that you forget that you listening to gear , the main importance is the music reproduction , and Thake the journey in to music. That’s what is for me most important.
At 181hrs the first 40 minutes ware ok , but nothing special. Harsh . I Think that this had to do with the Burn-in effect. I will now listen to it 4 full day`s to go asap to the 300 – 600hrs mark. I`m so exciting what will happen. I will report further at 300 hrs mark.
If you have some question feel free to ask.

What is little less that my Plexy-glass top cover have little band from the heat above the 6550 Tube. I have now applied some aluminum tape from the inside side and cut in the venting holes in it. I hope this wil solve the issue.


Today the sound is not that amazing like yesterday . I do not understand this. Could it be that at 190HRS the unit can be that night- day different?
 
Last edited:

Cascais

Well-Known Member
Nov 5, 2012
257
2
150
Portugal
Hi Slowik, Never fear if the Ref 6 is inconsistent since it will stabilize after about 400 hours of play. I had a similar experience with my Ref 5 SE which was like a roller coaster until it broke in at 600 hours, which is the reason that I probably won't trade it for the 6. Life is too short for that kind of aggro.
 

Cascais

Well-Known Member
Nov 5, 2012
257
2
150
Portugal
I have read somewhere that I can only pass the sound from source through the Preamplifier without turning the amplifiers on. Set the gain at 80 to quicken the burin-in period. Can someone else confirm that?

Never heard that and would not try it. You would probably toast the tube set which would be expensive. Why not just let the source run on repeat at a low volume if you are concerned about the wait? However I know little about the mysteries of vacuum tubes except that they make funny noises when they wear out.
 

microstrip

VIP/Donor
May 30, 2010
20,806
4,698
2,790
Portugal
I have read somewhere that I can only pass the sound from source through the Preamplifier without turning the amplifiers on. Set the gain at 80 to quicken the burin-in period. Can someone else confirm that?

IMHO this is the proper way to carry the burn/in of an ARC preamplifier, although I have used the 75 gain! But for precaution you should take out the output cables of preamplifier. :) Voltage signals do not shorten tube life, only current can affect it. The preamplifier runs in class A, so current stays the same with and without signals.
 

Cascais

Well-Known Member
Nov 5, 2012
257
2
150
Portugal
IMHO this is the proper way to carry the burn/in of an ARC preamplifier, although I have used the 75 gain! But for precaution you should take out the output cables of preamplifier. :) Voltage signals do not shorten tube life, only current can affect it. The preamplifier runs in class A, so current stays the same with and without signals.

Does this method actually reduce the number of hours needed to break in the ARC preamp, or just make the process - 400 hours - more convenient?
 

Lee

Well-Known Member
Feb 3, 2011
3,186
1,717
1,260
Alpharetta, Georgia
Hi all ,

I have now 2 days the ARC Ref6 Pre. This is only my opinion so it is my kind of putting in the paper wwhat I experience and compare with. And I must say I’m very impressed by this gear. I was always in love in Tube-sound. But the Tube -effect on some gear what I had listened to was little to slow and sometimes little to sweet to be lifelike reproduction of music. The ARC is never that kind of reproduction. From beginning of listening at 160 hrs on the timetable I was seduction and first hear love. The attack of the bass what I was afraid from tube- gear is sublime. The Bas is lighting fast and very differential. At highs more details stroke me first with the kind finesse that I can remember I first time audition my Aleph -X. Many many more air and effortless reproduction of the sound. Not like correct -sound like my Aleph XP20 , it is music with everything what is music about ! The mids tones are very fine and much meat on the bones. Far better than my old Pass XP20. The XP20 I IMHO good gear for the recording – studio like reproduction. Nothing more than good and correct reproduction. And the ARC Ref6 is IMHO the gear that you forget that you listening to gear , the main importance is the music reproduction , and Thake the journey in to music. That’s what is for me most important.
At 181hrs the first 40 minutes ware ok , but nothing special. Harsh . I Think that this had to do with the Burn-in effect. I will now listen to it 4 full day`s to go asap to the 300 – 600hrs mark. I`m so exciting what will happen. I will report further at 300 hrs mark.
If you have some question feel free to ask.

What is little less that my Plexy-glass top cover have little band from the heat above the 6550 Tube. I have now applied some aluminum tape from the inside side and cut in the venting holes in it. I hope this wil solve the issue.


Today the sound is not that amazing like yesterday . I do not understand this. Could it be that at 190HRS the unit can be that night- day different?

Keep us updated. How does it sound now?
 

TommyTunes

Well-Known Member
Jan 16, 2012
35
0
391
Alpharetta
Hi Slowik, Never fear if the Ref 6 is inconsistent since it will stabilize after about 400 hours of play. I had a similar experience with my Ref 5 SE which was like a roller coaster until it broke in at 600 hours, which is the reason that I probably won't trade it for the 6. Life is too short for that kind of aggro.
I have my Ref6 for 6 months and I'm just approaching the 170 hour mark. Unfortunately it usually takes the same amount of time for me to break in a component as it does for ARC to put out an upgrade.
 

About us

  • What’s Best Forum is THE forum for high end audio, product reviews, advice and sharing experiences on the best of everything else. This is THE place where audiophiles and audio companies discuss vintage, contemporary and new audio products, music servers, music streamers, computer audio, digital-to-analog converters, turntables, phono stages, cartridges, reel-to-reel tape machines, speakers, headphones and tube and solid-state amplification. Founded in 2010 What’s Best Forum invites intelligent and courteous people of all interests and backgrounds to describe and discuss the best of everything. From beginners to life-long hobbyists to industry professionals, we enjoy learning about new things and meeting new people, and participating in spirited debates.

Quick Navigation

User Menu

Steve Williams
Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator
Ron Resnick
Site Co-Owner | Administrator
Julian (The Fixer)
Website Build | Marketing Managersing