A REF5 tryout is planned
 

Hello folks,

I called my dealer today and we planned a loan of the REF 5 preamp in my home to try with the 2301's and compare its sound to the C1000P.
I love the REF 2 so much that I have to try the REF 5.
Don't know if it will be a good match with the 2301's or not.
REF 5 should be home when I return from my holidays at the end of the first week of november

Jerome... Great news! Home demos are always fun. Looking forward to your impressions and pictures.

I will Jeff !
An A /B test of C1000P versus REF 5 should be interesting.
My dealer told me that they sound very different.

Jérôme.......You know this path leads directly to the REF250 mono block power amplifiers. :yes:


http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/pic...ence_250_1.jpg

I know Dan....I know.....:tears:

Jerome...If you can get your dealer to also loan you either the Ref 150 (stereo amp) and/or the Ref 250s (mono amps) at the same time, i think that will be a good way to compare. Because then you can test the Ref 5 with your MC2301s and then compare the all Mc (C1000/MC2301) vs. all ARC (Ref 5 with Ref150 or Ref 250). My guess is that the Ref 5 with MC2301 will sound less good than all MC or all ARC combination (but who knows).

I remember Bob (Vintage-Tube) did a shoot out between the Ref 3 and his C500 paired up with his MC2301s and he did not like the Ref 3 with his MC2301s. The input impedance of the MC2301s (47Kohms) is much lower than is typical on ARC amps (200+ Kohms).

I know this is a lot to do but that would be my recommendation Jerome :D Good luck.

Cyril.......I agree with you on auditioning all ARC against all McIntosh.

Cyril,

You're right my friend.
But this is going to be a but more difficult, especially for monoblocks ( 2 floors to climb to get to my room - hopefully it is not the seventh sky ! ) I could manage a test of the Ref150 stereo amp but my fear is that the 2301's will be better than this one, even with the REF 5....

Hi Jerome:
You'd be very surprised. The Ref 150s will display the character in full of the 250s. It won't take much to just imagine more power.
I used to have an all Mac system MC2102 and C1000. Then I heard an all ARC system in a showroom and preferred it. So I purchased the Ref 5 and put it in my system with Mac amp, ok, but not as good as all Mac. Then I purchased an ARC amp---and I was hooked.
Presentations are very different---ARC more transparent, Mac sometimes more of the golden glow.
Try the Ref. 150 for starters (less effort) and go from there.

Randy

I can't wait for the REF 5 shootout. Really looking forward to the results. :yes: