I read the Stereophile review of the ARC 6SE. It is generally very positive although there is not a lot of comparison directly with the ARC 6. Some of the review was a bit hard to interpret as the sound quality seemed to be greatly influenced by which footer or rack was used.
Here's my take on the new 6SE:
I got both my upgraded 6SE and Phono 3SE back from ARC recently. A pleasant surprise was that the upgrades included a thicker 0.236 inch poly top cover which they say is much less prone to warping. It has a nicely finished beveled edge and sits slightly higher than the side panels.
It's a bit early to fully assess the changes in sound quality but what I hear so far, I like. In particular, the 6SE's bottom end seems to have more punch and "drive" for lack of a better term. Vocals seem also more fleshed out, the soundstage is about the same width but "denser." I found the ARC 6 a bit more laid back. It's somewhat harder to distinguish what improvements I hear with the 3SE phono stage as I cannot separate it from changes heard with the 6SE. Overall, IMO, the upgrade investment was worthwhile.
|