Audio Research Ref 3...& Krell Showcase 5 poweramp

Just a thought, but before investing in a new amp it might be worthwhile to try changing the connections between the Ref3 and the Krell amp from unbalanced to balanced or vice versa.

Also, I would be hesitant to conclude that the "missing something" is being caused by the amp unless there are grounds for confidence in the condition of the tubes in the Ref3.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

Thanks Al. Why would the balanced/unbalanced cables make a difference? I currently use balanced connections between the two but don't really understand the difference between the two.

MW, see my two posts and the one by Magicmarksy (with which I partially disagreed, but which provides good background) near the end of this thread.

While going from balanced connections to unbalanced connections in this particular case is most likely a long-shot with respect to the possibility that it will restore the "missing something," as I said it might be worth trying before making a major investment in a new high quality amplifier that would do justice to the Ref3. And if the length of the cables would not be particularly long, for purposes of the experiment I would expect that inexpensive RCA cables would do fine.

Good luck. Regards,
-- Al

Mwelliott,

There are many issues which need to be addressed before coming to a decision of buying a new amplifier.

Your system is used for both music and theater. Is it set up for theater or is it set up for music? The 2 set ups are usually very different - I've never experienced a system that was able to be optimized for both.

While a sound system can be only as strong as the weakest component - this assumes the components are set up to perform their best.

I've personally visited many audiophiles who invested more than $40k in their system and helped them re-set and adjust their system to improve it's performance dramatically. And I'm no one special.

Also, no mention of the other components in your system were made. Speakers, cables, power conditioners, etc. all make a significant difference.

Let us know what your system is set up for - theater or music, what your speakers and cables are, if you're using a power conditioner - and any significant accessories you may be using.

The ARC Ref 3 is a great pre-amplifier. While I'm not a Krell fan, Dan D started the Krell company by building amplifiers (just like he started his current company with his Momentum amplifiers) - so your Showcase amplifier may not be the weak link. Your set up, speakers, wires, power conditioner may offer more significant improvements.

And, after considering (and making changes / adjustments to) these points - if you want to upgrade your amplifier - you'll have a better understanding of how things are working in your system.

Only good wishes to you.

Life is too short not to listen to music that stirs our senses and moves our souls, TJF

Hi Tjassoc, really grateful for your thoughts/help. I'm slightly embarrassed by my system as it isn't as high end or we'll put together as most of the other systems on this and other forums...but I'd like to get to the right place in the end!

Music is my passion and I originally thought that the Krell showcase processor and amp would suit movies and music as the processor has a pre-amp pass though....so CD, turntable etc can bypasse the processor entirely. But as I was starting to suspect (& the ARC Ref 3 proves) that the preamp part of the Krell Shocase is not good enough...which makes me doubt the Showcase amp too.

The rest of my system is Sonus Faber original Cremona speakers with Transparent Music Super (?) cables. My source components aren't great - Rega Planar 3 TT, Pioneer N50 music server fed through a Chord Hugo DAC.

Not sure where to go next. Any thoughts would be great. Thanks. Matt