Any ARC Ref3 users here?

[Lee]

Thoughts on sound quality...?

 

[microstrip]

Thoughts on sound quality...?

Lee,

I have used it for several thousand hours - as it has a an hour counter I know that by the time I changed to the REF5 it was almost time to change the tubes.

It was used with a CD7 and a VTL750 driving the Soundlabs. If it was not for the appearance of the replacement model and later the REF40 I would probably still own it. A good friend got it, and I regularly listen to his system using a REF110 and Sonus Faber Amati Anniversary. It is a full bodied preamplifier, with plenty of rhythm, slam and dynamics. What amplifier are you considering? I found that it sounded (and measured) better in balanced mode. If you need any review of it, I still have a lot of them in a folder.

 

[Ron Party]

In a word, completely fantastic! (OK, I know, that was 2)

 

[Lee]

Thanks guys. Good info.

 

[Lee]

Lee,

I have used it for several thousand hours - as it has a an hour counter I know that by the time I changed to the REF5 it was almost time to change the tubes.

It was used with a CD7 and a VTL750 driving the Soundlabs. If it was not for the appearance of the replacement model and later the REF40 I would probably still own it. A good friend got it, and I regularly listen to his system using a REF110 and Sonus Faber Amati Anniversary. It is a full bodied preamplifier, with plenty of rhythm, slam and dynamics. What amplifier are you considering? I found that it sounded (and measured) better in balanced mode. If you need any review of it, I still have a lot of them in a folder.

I may want to look at those reviews. Would a scan/existing pdf and email be convenient?

 

[Steve Williams]

I owned the Ref 3 as well as a Ref2 Mk 2 and thought them both to be excellent. I thought the difference between the Ref5 and the Ref 3 was negligible at best but the Ref 40 is a whole new story with another great preamp

 

[Ron Party]

The Ref3 on the used market may be one of the best bargains out there.

 

[Steve Williams]

I agree. Should be had for $3-5K at most

 

[andromedaaudio]

Great pre amp and for the price you cant go wrong .
I heard it together with the ref 110 a couple of times and found it to be exxcelent although missing a bit of slam , but i dont think it was the pre

 

[mep]

I agree. Should be had for $3-5K at most

You won't find one for $3K unless it fell off the back of a truck. They are still bringing around $5K.

 

[Bill Hart]

I owned the Ref 3 as well as a Ref2 Mk 2 and thought them both to be excellent. I thought the difference between the Ref5 and the Ref 3 was negligible at best but the Ref 40 is a whole new story with another great preamp

The Ref 40 was the 'Anniversary' model? That's two chassis, right? The other line stages in the Ref series are single chassis models?
I really like the hours display. If ARC were cynical (which they are not- they are midwesternly genuinely nice), they could program it to say "Your Unit is Now Obsolete! It has been Superceded by the [X model]. You are now getting less from your system than you could be."
Not that any of that is true.
(I always liked the Sp-10 better than the SP-11, FWIW).

 

[microstrip]

The Ref 40 was the 'Anniversary' model? That's two chassis, right? The other line stages in the Ref series are single chassis models?
I really like the hours display. If ARC were cynical (which they are not- they are midwesternly genuinely nice), they could program it to say "Your Unit is Now Obsolete! It has been Superceded by the [X model]. You are now getting less from your system than you could be."
Not that any of that is true.
(I always liked the Sp-10 better than the SP-11, FWIW).

Whart,

Yes, it is the Anniversary model. It is dual chassis dual mono preamplifier - the dual power supply uses tubes for voltage regulation (a 6h30 and a 6550c per channel). The hour counter is an excellent add on, but makes me feel guilty - I should have changed the tubes some hundreds of hours ago. But at around 4500 hours I objectively tested them for transconductance, distortion and noise. As they still measured almost as new I am keeping them.

 

[Bill Hart]

Whart,

Yes, it is the Anniversary model. It is dual chassis dual mono preamplifier - the dual power supply uses tubes for voltage regulation (a 6h30 and a 6550c per channel). The hour counter is an excellent add on, but makes me feel guilty - I should have changed the tubes some hundreds of hours ago. But at around 4500 hours I objectively tested them for transconductance, distortion and noise. As they still measured almost as new I am keeping them.

Micro:
One of the many neuroses of owning tubes, unfortunately. I am pretty much forced to buy new tubes every year for the Lamms according to Vladimir.
I have owned ARC equipment, as you know, since 1975, although none of what I have is current. I have heard the latest Ref gear, including, i think the Anniversary, on a big system when it was being set up in a treated room for a demo. The ARC guy was there fiddling with it, and they put it on for me, it sounded top flight, big, big soundstage, the bass was very 'right' in dimension and tonality, and all this, from a CD. I was impressed.

 

[microstrip]

Micro:
One of the many neuroses of owning tubes, unfortunately. I am pretty much forced to buy new tubes every year for the Lamms according to Vladimir.
I have owned ARC equipment, as you know, since 1975, although none of what I have is current. I have heard the latest Ref gear, including, i think the Anniversary, on a big system when it was being set up in a treated room for a demo. The ARC guy was there fiddling with it, and they put it on for me, it sounded top flight, big, big soundstage, the bass was very 'right' in dimension and tonality, and all this, from a CD. I was impressed.

Whart,

What was the CD player? My dream amplifier is the REF610 - the few time I have listened to it were overwhelming, using speakers such a the Magico Mini II , the TheSonusfaber, the Aida and recently the Alexandria XLF. Unhappily, the extreme heat and the menace of yearly having to change 40 KT120 tubes keeps me away from it.
Sometimes I even question myself what would be a better system - a REF610t with the Mini II's or the Aida's with a REF150 or 250? The brain says the Aida's, but the heart hesitates ...

In my system, I have not been able to replace the ARC CD8, even with players costing five times more, without loosing the feeling of "right" as you say!

 

[Bill Hart]

Whart,

What was the CD player? My dream amplifier is the REF610 - the few time I have listened to it were overwhelming, using speakers such a the Magico Mini II , the TheSonusfaber, the Aida and recently the Alexandria XLF. Unhappily, the extreme heat and the menace of yearly having to change 40 KT120 tubes keeps me away from it.
Sometimes I even question myself what would be a better system - a REF610t with the Mini II's or the Aida's with a REF150 or 250? The brain says the Aida's, but the heart hesitates ...

In my system, I have not been able to replace the ARC CD8, even with players costing five times more, without loosing the feeling of "right" as you say!

Micro, it was an ARC CD player- the amps were REF amps but not a 610, which if memory serves, has a vertical orientation with the output tubes exposed on top. I can check if you like on precisely what the amplifers were- I think the Ref 250? The speakers were the Aida. The system overall had a large sound, in a large room although the orientation was on the 'long wall' and you weren't terribly far from the speakers, which were spaced quite widely apart, relative to the listening position. The sound stage was huge. To my ears, the room was a little dead sounding, and the system sounded 'sweet,' perhaps that's the nature of the speaker line more generally, but it was glorious hi-fi in the glamorous sense.

 

[microstrip]

Micro, it was an ARC CD player- the amps were REF amps but not a 610, which if memory serves, has a vertical orientation with the output tubes exposed on top. I can check if you like on precisely what the amplifers were- I think the Ref 250? The speakers were the Aida. The system overall had a large sound, in a large room although the orientation was on the 'long wall' and you weren't terribly far from the speakers, which were spaced quite widely apart, relative to the listening position. The sound stage was huge. To my ears, the room was a little dead sounding, and the system sounded 'sweet,' perhaps that's the nature of the speaker line more generally, but it was glorious hi-fi in the glamorous sense.

Whart,
Thanks - it should be the REF250s. Do you remember what cables they were using?

 

[Steve Williams]

well they don't make the Ref610T any more and FWIW the Ref 20 is probably a better amp

 

[Bill Hart]

Whart,
Thanks - it should be the REF250s. Do you remember what cables they were using?

Nope, but I can call and ask. I bought alot of equipment, including alot of ARC stuff from them, back in the day.

 

[Bill Hart]

well they don't make the Ref610T any more and FWIW the Ref 250 is probably a better amp

I couldn't handle that kinda power.

 

[LL21]

Micro, it was an ARC CD player- the amps were REF amps but not a 610, which if memory serves, has a vertical orientation with the output tubes exposed on top. I can check if you like on precisely what the amplifers were- I think the Ref 250? The speakers were the Aida. The system overall had a large sound, in a large room although the orientation was on the 'long wall' and you weren't terribly far from the speakers, which were spaced quite widely apart, relative to the listening position. The sound stage was huge. To my ears, the room was a little dead sounding, and the system sounded 'sweet,' perhaps that's the nature of the speaker line more generally, but it was glorious hi-fi in the glamorous sense.

wow...quite a system you heard!