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Review 3 of 13 Summary: When I started to assemble the system I had wanted, I used a passive preamp, essentially a volume control only, between my PH3 phono stage and a VT100 amp. Sometimes I skipped the passive preamp and plugged the phono directly into the amp. This was driving Martin Logan CLSIIz's, and although it worked and was detailed, it lacked dynamics and was dull. Enter the Ref 1. Since the Ref 2 had just come out, my dealer (the pusher man!) had Ref 1's coming in on trade-in, so I bought one used that had the Infinicap upgrade already. Well, dynamics are incredible, soundstaging is wonderful with instruments having body in space. After a year I changed from Tara Reference Gen II Master interconnects to their Air 1 series. Highs opened up a great deal, and running balanced rather than single ended actually increased volume at the same setting. The overall sound is hard to describe because it simply sounds like the music, or at least like what it would be like to hear the master tape. It can handle all sorts of difficult music, and I listen to almost everything. After reading about tube rolling on this site, I realized that there was a whole WORLD OF TUBES beyond the simple Sovteks that ARC supplies with their equipment. I just installed some Amperex orange globe label 6DJ8's from about 1970, and it did make a very nice difference in the way the bass is controlled (now very tight)and an across the board reduction in grain from the Sovteks. And I thought it sounded great before. Tube rolling made an even bigger difference in the PH3SE phono preamp. The big problem with this preamp and all ARC equipment is that I can't stop listening! Strengths: Soundstaging, resolution of detail, MUSIC! Weaknesses: None Similar Products Used: Passive Mod Squad
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