Jerome...I am not sure at all. I think the C1000P is a wonderful amp. I think you are thinking that if the Ref Phono 2 sounded good to you, that you are likely to have a similar impression about the Ref 5. My only advice is to listen to it in your own system and compare it with your C1000P. You may find you still prefer the C1000P. I think with all things high end audio, better to first try for yourself preferably in your system before you write the check or hand over the credit card. There are too many variables that could make one component sound good in one system and nothing special in another.
