ARC Ref 6 Review - PF (mep)

Thanks Mike! And thanks for posting the link here on AS.
 
Good review Mark. How many hours are you at?

Interesting how much louder it sounds. Has to be the bigger PSU and additional tubes.


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Mike-I'm pretty sure I'm only about 1/3 there in break in hours. Could also be the volume pot difference in the volume pot with regards to higher volume at the lower reading on the scale.
 
Mark,

Nice job with the review. I've said it before, I'll say it again, the ARC REF6 sounds amazing, not for its price, at any price! ARC did a brilliant job with the new circuit design, power supply, etc. Truly a reference level component at a reasonable price.

Ken
 
nc42acc said:
Mark it is a shame all of us peasants have to slum it with the REF5SE.
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Yeah, I loved every minute I had with my Ref 5SE. Totally proud to own it and it brought me enjoyment every time I listened to it. This is one of those example of "If I didn't know better..."
 
Alpinist said:
Mark,

Nice job with the review. I've said it before, I'll say it again, the ARC REF6 sounds amazing, not for its price, at any price! ARC did a brilliant job with the new circuit design, power supply, etc. Truly a reference level component at a reasonable price.

Ken
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Ken-Thanks and I have to agree with your comment that the Ref 6 sounds amazing.
 
Wait a minute. This review is completely inadequate. I need to see Ref6 charts, graphs, measurements and Ref5 vs Ref6 double blind testing for it to be of any value.

You're clearly suffering a placebo affect attributed to big shiny knobs.

[emoji14]


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Not trying to be curmudgeonly, but why not the GSPre? Any idea what sonic improvements (if any) it offers over the Ref6?
 
rbbert said:
Not trying to be curmudgeonly, but why not the GSPre? Any idea what sonic improvements (if any) it offers over the Ref6?
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Rob-I have no idea how the GSPre would sound in my system as I have not had a chance to hear it in my system. People have also asked me if I know how the Ref 10 sounds compared to the Ref 6. I have never heard the Ref 10 in my system either, but I would gladly listen to either preamp if someone wants to send them my way. I went with the Ref 6 because it seems a natural progression from the Ref 5SE and ARC used the Ref 5SE as a benchmark to improve upon. They succeeded very nicely IMO and I'm very happy with my purchasing decision.
 
My question wasn't meant to question your purchase decision Mark, it was an informational one, if ayone here knows the answer. Why does ARC have two somewhat similar preamps at about the same price point? Is there an incremental difference? Is it cosmetics? Are they marketing the Galileo line to a different audience than the Reference line?
 
Mark -

Very nice review. I saw the Ref 6 several weeks ago and I thought it was exquisitely built. The fact that you feel it is dramatically better than the Ref 5 SE is quite an accomplishment for ARC. Additionally, ARC did not increase the price dramatically.

Keep us posted as you reach the 600 HR mark.
 
rbbert said:
My question wasn't meant to question your purchase decision Mark, it was an informational one, if ayone here knows the answer. Why does ARC have two somewhat similar preamps at about the same price point? Is there an incremental difference? Is it cosmetics? Are they marketing the Galileo line to a different audience than the Reference line?
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Not really similar. The Galileo is a full function preamp with a built in phono stage. As a line stage and phono stage, the Galileo is not in the league of the now discontinued Ref 5 SE and the Ref Phono 2 SE.
 
So what are the main sound differences between the GSPre and the REF6? What amp and speakers were you using? Thanks
Dafos said:
Not really similar. The Galileo is a full function preamp with a built in phono stage. As a line stage and phono stage, the Galileo is not in the league of the now discontinued Ref 5 SE and the Ref Phono 2 SE.
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You really can't compare the two. The DS pre is a non reference line stage with a built in DAC. The Ref 6 is a state of the art Reference level line stage that is just a notch below the top of the line two chassis ref 10. And the ref 6 being the latest design from audio research, i wouldn't be surprised if at less than half the cost of the Ref 10 its performance would be very competitive. I use the Ref Anniversary into a d'agostino stereo power amp that drives a slightly tweaked Raidho D3.
 
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