Anyone heard the new ARC LS17SE?

Thanks Bavarian05 - when you say it is more dense, but not richer. Is that maybe a blacker background and maybe a veil has been lifted somewhat?

Hello Lougiants,
Truthfully, I am not certain how to describe it. Richer would likely make sense, though in my experience, richer can be misconstrued to mean colored or having more bloom. It doesn't sound tubier and richer in the typical sense. The sound is more complete and is better defined, seeming to have a larger color pallete overall. This is perhaps an overstatement, but for lack of better analogy, its similiar in difference between 720p and 1080p. This could be due to or enhanced by a quieter background, though I dont really know how much coupling caps can effect the S/N ratio, etc. I dont want to speculate here, as my electrical knowledge doesn't run that deep. Overall it seems the colors are simply deeper and better defined. I hope this helps more than confuses. I will update again as I get more time logged with it.

As between Ref5se and 5, there is a greater palpability of all images. To the extent that prior ARC gear could be characterized as slightly on the lean side, the new caps fill in the boundaries of all images for a more natural and dynamic presentation. Images still "float" as before, but just a bit less so because the images are more rooted in their spaces. A very worthwhile tradeoff. I assume the differences described above apply to all ARC se upgrades which involve among other things-the new caps.

That was definitely a better explanation than I provided. Thank you for that. For clarity, the SE update to the Ref 2 and Ref 5 also include power supply upgrades and the cost is $2,500. The SE update to the LS17 only includes the new Teflon coupling caps and is $795. All three Signature Edition updates include the new faceplate and round metal buttons and are all performed factory direct.