Just picked up my REF40 today.... Wow!

[cmalak]

Originally Posted by SRT-10 Viper

Mine is different than that... My REF 3/5 would play on CD Balanced (While connected balanced) or SE still while connected Balanced but at a much reduced volume. I haven't tried that on the REF40. Sounds like his might have cross talk between channels. I don't have that.

Chuck...yours is just a function of the BAL vs. Single Ended selection on the source. You will always get a 6dB attenuation on SE vs. BAL. That is just a function of the type of connection. There is nothing wrong there. As you say, even if the source is till connected via the Balanced connections, if you change the typr of connection on the source via the remote, you will get that attenuation.

[TOGA]

Cmalak, you 're correct. Switching to any emptied input and I can still hear
CD sound. But at very low level. Can be heard thru tweeter only and at around 3 inches from tweeters. I called ARC, and they said if it is such a low level then just take it easy. It's not a real problem on real world operation, but I just disappointed that this happen on world class preamp. Oh But My Levinson 326s was like this too regarding inter-input crosstalk.

[cmalak]

TOGA...have you tried different interconnects to see if this problems persists? The cross-talk could be happening through the interconnects. Not sure but worth a try.

[Dluky]

I must wait 3 weeks

[BillK]

Wow - is hiss and such normal for a tube preamp?

I can turn my current SS preamp up to ungodly levels and not have any hiss, and have to really crank it up to hear signal from a different input...

[cmalak]

Originally Posted by BillK

Wow - is hiss and such normal for a tube preamp?

I can turn my current SS preamp up to ungodly levels and not have any hiss, and have to really crank it up to hear signal from a different input...

Bill...If you have a euphonic (bad) tube in the preamp you can get some tube rush and/or excessive hiss. If you have good tubes in there you may have to put your ear right up to the tweeters to hear the slightest hiss. Not noticeable in good preamp tube circuits with good measuring tubes, certainly not from listening position.

[BillK]

Right, but if I put my ear up to my tweeters with no signal from a source on my Levinson preamp I hear nothing unless the volume is over about 70.

[cmalak]

Bill...I get that. SS will almost always beat tubes in terms of delivering a completely silent/black background. Just the limitation of tube technology. You can get a crappily designed SS preamp that will be noisier than a well-designed tube preamp with high quality tubes but for equally matched designs, the SS will beat out the tube preamp on complete black backgrounds.

[BillK]

I ask about this not because I spend my time listening with my ear to a tweeter, but rather do a fair amount of listening at night, when I can actually hear hiss from across the room if it's being emitted because the house is otherwise completely silent - as in I can hear the clock ticking, slight hum from the power amp transformer, etc. between tracks.

[intouch1]

when switching between balnced and SE inputs on my REF 5 i get the music at the same level playback. this with only the balanced input used. strange indeed. seems it's not a fully differential balanced input stage ?