Audio Research Ref 3 Preamp + Mcintosh Mc501's

No concerns, they work well together I had them paired up with Eggleston Andra 2 speakers.

Connected via balanced IC's

The only way to be assured of match perfection is to get the components from the same manufacturer. I found that this gives a synergy that few if any combo might have.

Totally disagree with Stringreen comments above.

I've finally matched the Ref 3 with Mc501's. I feel they sound incredible and seem to work very well together. I can hear the the high, sweet mid range, the low and spacing between vocal notes
However, it seems the Mc501's kind of struggle a bit! The blue meters bounce more quickly comparing to when i mated them with the Parasound JC2.
As the Ref 3 sounds better a node better than the JC2. I can only see improvement but I'm unable to tell if the Ref 3 has performed/ mated for its best
primare_cd31

Primare_cd31, there is no best, what speakers are you using?

When I had this combo aprox. 3 years ago I paired it up with Eggleston Andra 2's it sounded very nice, I then was able to demo a pair of Pass X600.5's which I prefered.

You made sure to connect to the correct ohm right? a freind has a pair and didn't but that being said you should try different ones as you may prefer the sonics. Power cables make a difference also.

When I owned the REF3 my preference was to have it placed upon 3 Sistrum small brass points, upgrade fuse to HiFi and a power cable, used a Stealth Dream.

Enjoy!