Very interesting. At one time I had a very similar system. ARC VT100 mk3, LS25 mk2 and Martin Logan SL3s. The Sl3s are very revealing. The better the electronics the better they sound.
I also spent a bit of time with a LS25 mk 1. I felt the LS25 mk2 was quite a bit better. The change to the 6H30 tube made a big difference. I now own a Ref 5se. It is a huge improvement over ALL previous ARC preamps. And I have owned quite a few in the last 30 years. I auditioned a demo LS27 for a few weekends. I did not think it was really worth the move from my LS25 mk2. I was sold my first evening with the Ref 5se. I woild suggest either a Ref 3 or Ref 5se. But not an original Ref 5 unless you can get it for around the same price as a Ref 3.
I also played around with using pair of VT100s to drive my SL3s. While I felt the sound was a little bit better, I did not think it was good enough to justify twice as many tubes.
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