i can share my experiences between the REF5SE vs REF5.
I was lucky to audition for a month a dealer's demo unit REF5 with over 600++ hours on the unit. It was very well broken in.
I paired this w/ the REF75 and i really loved the sound. So much that i ordered the REF5 SE.
Today my REF5Se arrives and out of the box, with zero hours, the REF5SE easily wins over the REF5. Here are the differences:
a.) ref5se== very effortless sound, smooth
b.) more open and detailed
c.) refinement is a notch or two higher, its cleaner, clearer
d.) bass is not as strong as the broken in ref5 but i think due to break in issue
e.) the new 5SE is sibilant, again due to break in issue
The Ref5 is a great pre-amp and definitely i can live with as I enjoyed with it in the month i had it with me. But the REF5se is clearly a level or two higher... Worth the jump between the two pre-amp but by all means, the REF5 is still a great pre-amp !!!
I will report here again after 100 hours... i will enjoy the process!!!
|