ARC Reference se

Yes ... the Ref 5 SE and the Ref 150 amp make for a terrific combination. I think the bottleneck is the quality of the music which I find very spotty. Been very impressed with hi-def/hi-rez redbook CDs, e.g., from MoFi label. Acoustic Sounds has a nice offering.

IMO, the Ref 5 SE and Ref 150 really show their colors when negotiating complex and dynamic music without compression or distortion. As stated, it's the quality (or lack thereof) of the source material that's frustrating.

Yes,I know what you mean.I went from the ls 15 to the ref 5 se and,I like what Im hearing.Its thinned out some of my music,but the good recordings are really good.

Using it as part of a home theatre set up, I had chalked up over 1400 hours. Swapped to the tubes out for a Cryo-ed matched set and have to say it sounds pretty damn good now. Properly run in, it takes over 500 hours IMHO.

Hey mate,I was wondering if different tubes,could improve things.