[sander]

Hello fellow ARC admirers,

I really love my Ref 3.

But i don't have a dedicated listening room.
So this wonderful machine is on almost allday, everyday. I have to change the big 6550 tube every year, and the 6H30 every two years or so.
We all know this hobby is a big assessment on our financial state. But this is getting out of hand.

So i was thinking about exchanging my Ref 3 for a LS27, since it only has two tubes instead of six.

ARC is claiming on their website that they "believe" the LS27 surpasses the performance of the REF3 in virtually every way.

Does anybody here has the same "believes"?
Or better yet, the same experience?

Because I don't.

I have a demo LS27 in my system right now, comparing it with my Ref 3.

It's not better in my ears. It's brighter, so maybe it seems better.
But the Ref sounds more natural to me.
The soundstage is bigger, higher and deeper.
The seperation is better. The dynamics are better. There is more air with the Ref.
So i "believe" that the Ref3 surpasses the performance of the LS27 in virtually every way.

Does anybody has a similar experience? Or the opposite?
I would like to hear your experience?
Do you think that ARC really believes the LS27 outperforms the Ref3? Or is it just marketing?

By the way, i think the LS27 is a great, really great machine. But i think the Ref3 is still better.

Greetings from the Netherlands,
Sander.