Jim:
One product gets Product of the Year, and then the same reviewers declare the other "the best preamplifier ever" FROM ARC.
It's sort of like you dated around before you got married, and your wife is the one you married, but that one girl was "the best redhead" you ever dated. That's a slap in the face. They didn't say "one of the best preamps we've ever heard". They said "the best from ARC".
There is a massive difference, and I am sure you all see this and are just giving me a hard time for fun.
But I do agree with your need for a head to head comparison in your own system. There is also a need (for most of us) to get out there and gather as much info as possible from as many sources as possible. This is what GPGR4BLU did, and he made the correct decision.
How many people on the EARTH have done a comparison of an ARC 3 and a C1000 in their system? I would venture to guess that there are less than a dozen. The guy wanted info, and I provided that, WITH my disclaimer that I had NOT done a head to head comparison.
You guys just want to argue for fun, and that's cool b/c I can do that all day. But I'm right here.