Ckear, incredible sound stage and placement of voices and instruments

NONE

I switched to the Ref 1 after using the LS2B for over 5 year. I use the LS2B to drive a smaller system. The Ref 1 is the most musical and involving pre amp i have auditioned. U could listen for hours. I use it to drive a Mark Levinson 333 or the Sonic Frontiers Power 3 sometimes. SPeakers are the THiel 3.6, and the Sonus Faber Concertos on Atacama SE28 stands.I am very happy with it. My CD source is the SONY SCD 777ES, and I use the Meridian 518 driving a MUSE 296 for non SACD material, using the 777 as transport. Cables and interconnects are Alpha Core Goertz. Digital connects - Madrigal.

Similar Products Used:

ARC LS2B

Air, Imaging, Soundstage depth, resolution, MIDRANGE

Maybe just a slight softness in the extreme highs (compared to the Levison)

I had never intended to spend this much on a pre-amp, but after listening to several other products in lower price ranges, I always felt a sense of compromise. I compared this pre-amp directly to the doubly priced Mark Levisnson Reference and although th ML has better highs and more precision at the rear of the soundstage, in my opinion, it could not match the palpability of the ARC.

I am a confessed midrange sucker and have only recently discovered ARC tubes (in the past, the tube products I have tried have been too bloomy & warm for my taste). After getting a taste of the ARC sound via the LS1 & LS8, I realised that this is the only way I was going to get satisfyingly palpable mids in my system. And palpable they are! Although this machine will handle anything you throw at it with aplomb, it really shines on female vocals, giving them an inner light and emotionality I have hitherto not experienced in hi-fi reproduction. Listening to Roberta Flack, aside from the feeling that she was in the room, I felt I had a new insight into what she had put into the music emotionally.

This sort of thing is a little difficlut to decribe, but it is the rendering of the most minute detali in the most benign way, which I think is what sets good quality tubes apart form solid state. The ML had more to offer in the detail department (it does cost twice as much) but its presentation was drier and less involving. (although these 2 products are in the same league, they 'sound' completely different & will appeal to opposite ennds of the audiophile spectrum).

The REF 1 is an emotional rather than technical product, if you love the emotional aspect of music & can afford admission (or even if you can't), I strongly suggest a listen, especially if your primary source is digital. Suffice to say, it made me spend twice as much as I'd intended.



My current system:

CD: Meridian 508/24

Pre: REF 1

Power: BAT VK500

Speakers: Baby Utopias

Inerconnect Cables: Transparent, Cardas

Speaker cables: Transparent

Similar Products Used:

Mark Levison Reference, ARC LS8, ARC LS1, Krell KRC3

Sound

Volume control; steps are too large and it sometimes gets miscalibrated

Extremely detailed, holographic presentation of music; sounds equally good with vinyl and digital and it has that all important polarity switch. Sounds great with both the Pass Aleph 2 Amplifiers and Audio Physic Virgos and also with an old 60 Watt Adcom stereo amp and Sound Dynamics 300ti's. It also benefits greatly from balanced interconnects and MIT power conditioning.