Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharp 1080
I use this system as a reference. It is at my local dealer. It has the Ref CD-9 (on the floor out of range) normally sitting next to the Dr Feikert TT and your Ref 10 preamp which I am thinking of trying in my system at home! In my opinion the two of them are symbiotic for a reason. I'm curious as to what you eventually decide on using?
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Thanks Sharp,
I change my mind at least twice a day.
From what I've read, these two are extremely similar sonically. The choice will probably come down to flexibility and functionality. I am going to test them head-to-head at a dealer soon. I'll report back afterwards.
The Ref DAC is scheduled to be refreshed first in 2017, followed by the Ref CD-9. The update will be to the DAC 9 digital board from the current DAC 8 board. One thing I will be testing in my audition is if the Ref DAC sounds superior without an ARC Ref preamp in the system compared to with a Ref preamp. If the Ref DAC sounds superior without the preamp, I'll definitely get the Ref CD-9. I'm not a fan of non-defeatable volume controls on DACs.
And yes, the Ref 10 preamp is better than I could have ever dreamed!
Best,
Ken