On 7/6/09, Samuel gave a nice assessment of his early experience with the REF 5, comparing it with the REF 3. Do a search here.
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Here is a link to the thread that was referenced above, by Rgurney. Samuel's Thoughts on the Ref. 3 vs. Ref. 5 It seemed very informative actually. I too am interested in the discussion, but for the opposite reason. I am very impressed with the Ref. 3, (a friend has one), and I am considering swapping out my preamp for that one. I am hoping that all the Ref. 3 owners will start flooding the market with their used Ref. 3's, in order to buy the new Ref. 5, (that way I can pick up a Ref. 3 cheap.) FYI, I would think long and hard before giving up the Ref. 3. It is the best preamp ARC has made in a long time, IMHO. (It impresses me quite a bit, whereas the Ref. 1 and 2 were merely very good preamps, and did not impress me in nearly the same way. FYI, my friend with the Ref. 3 upgraded from the Ref. 2, (and from the Ref. 1 before that). |
Missioncoonery, Maybe, but then again, I've found that I get the best deals from people who like to experiment with equipment, which means that the Ref. 3 I buy, will probably have changed hands two or maybe three times. (The Ref. 3 has such a reputation that most people would be willing to try it out for exactly that it has a great reputation. And for some people, it may not be "tubey" enough, as it is a rather neutral sounding preamp. I on the other hand, who have and like solid state equipment, think it sounds more than "tubey" enough, and yet it is extremely quiet, unlike the previous Ref. 1 and 2 preamps from ARC). Not that it matters too much in the short term, as I am broke right now anyway. But hopefully next year I'll be in a better position to buy one. Although, that assumes that the economy recovers for my industry (construction) in the next year. And here in California, I have virtually no hope that it will recover, due to the incompetents who are in charge of the state government, (and don't even get me started about the federal government). |
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