ARC Reference Anniversary preamp in 2011

Well---for those who are thinking of upgrading from a ref 110 to a ref 210 or a 610 to get more power and a more substantive midrange without losing holographics that ARC is famous for--JUMP NOW. Th Ref 40 does it all in spades. In the first hour of a 600 hour break in period, I am floored. As one who has had a ref 5 with a ref 110 and 210s in my system ( Sashas as speakers), the improvement in overall sound going from 110 to 210s was IMHO about 10% to 15%. But with Ref 40 and 110s is about 25% or 30% just out of the box. Trust all the great things you hear about the Ref 40. It's all true.

This is by Jonathan Valin of The Absolute Sound.

http://www.avguide.com/review/audio-research-corporation-fortieth-anniversary-edition-reference-preamplifier-tas-209

The 40ith A Ref sounds great but I preferred the preamp I'm using now . The reason why it's only available for a year is simple , in a year ARC will be 41 years old .

I thought Jonathan will become 41 ... :-)
We will see the Anniversary running longer (already prolonged from December 2010 until March 2011) or even a successor. Marketing is King!

.
There has to be a successor. Technology marches on. If
this
is the last one, that would be tantamount to saying that it
can never get any better. The Ref 6, Ref 7, then they will
march out the Ref 8 stating that it surpasses the Ref
Anniversary 40 model. I don't have a problem with any of
it.
If I start saving now, I can hope to pick up a Ref
Anniversary 40 model in five years for about $10k.

Oh, and yes, there WILL be a Reference Golden Anniversary
Edition preamp for the 50th anniversary. It will sell for
$35k, ($50k with optional 18k gold plated faceplates and
handles), it will be a big success and be worth every penny.
I'm going to start saving for mine now.
.