A Sonic Mirage?

[Banter]

I went with a friend to audition a Cary System – SLP 03 Tube Preamplifier and SA-200.2 Amplifier.
I was immediately impressed with great dynamics, punchy and impactful. I liked the sound coming from it better than what my ARC-Ref150 and Ref5se combo was giving me.
After we left the dealer I immediately went to ARC house of worship and got down on my knees and said “ O god when will my salvation come. For last six months I have played this ARC combo till the Plexiglas cover on the Pre nearly melted and had to be replaced by metal. I wore out the plastic remote and had to be replaced by metal. All these months the whole house smelt of tar from Ref150 transformers.”
The voice from the sky said “You are not worthy of owning these ARC gear - you do not have the patience. You expect too much only after 250 hours. Get of this Sonic Cliff - Sell it!”
I went back to the Cary dealer and borrowed the two pieces. Took them home. The minute I plugged them in, same great sound came. While I waited good 20 minutes for the ARC gear to warm up to give me close but different sound. Cary hit the ground running. Wife and I both enjoyed listening to Cary.
So if you are in Toronto area I am getting off this Sonic Cliff. Sold!

[cmalak]

You may want to move this to the For Sale forums under amplification. You may also want to be a bit more direct in stating your intent to sell. Pics might be helpful. Separate pricing for the Ref 150 and Ref 5SE may also be helpful. Stats on how long you have owned them, hours logged on each unit, etc...

Good luck with the sale

[Banter]

Just venting my frustration!

[-E-]

Well that was fast... lol

I thought this was more of a vent but would have said - yeah go make another thread if you are serious about selling the gear, too!

Both ARC and Cary are very respectable brands - you couldn't go wrong with either. Glad the new rig is up and running to your liking.

[Banter]

My frustration was all that waiting. It felt like a "Sonic Mirage".

But I admit, I did not have the patience - not worthy of owning top end tube gear.

[turntable]

I bet you like rock n roll over new age jazz and female vocals

[microstrip]

Sorry to say, but as you do not list your system and your preferences, your post is just venting frustration. It will not be of any help to people who want to learn more about Audio Research or Cary.

[Ritmo]

Too bad...My Ref 5SE is at almost 600 hrs and it sounds delicious. I would not trade it for anything around its price point. And, yes, the top is warped just a tiny bit...but the sound is fantastic.

In any event, glad you are happy with your new gear.

[doggiehowser]

I thot the 5SE took ages before it got good again. Out of the box, it was impressive. Then it sucked. Then it sucked worse. Then presto.

[mbovaird]

Originally Posted by Banter

I went with a friend to audition a Cary System – SLP 03 Tube Preamplifier and SA-200.2 Amplifier.
I was immediately impressed with great dynamics, punchy and impactful. I liked the sound coming from it better than what my ARC-Ref150 and Ref5se combo was giving me.
After we left the dealer I immediately went to ARC house of worship and got down on my knees and said “ O god when will my salvation come. For last six months I have played this ARC combo till the Plexiglas cover on the Pre nearly melted and had to be replaced by metal. I wore out the plastic remote and had to be replaced by metal. All these months the whole house smelt of tar from Ref150 transformers.”
The voice from the sky said “You are not worthy of owning these ARC gear - you do not have the patience. You expect too much only after 250 hours. Get of this Sonic Cliff - Sell it!”
I went back to the Cary dealer and borrowed the two pieces. Took them home. The minute I plugged them in, same great sound came. While I waited good 20 minutes for the ARC gear to warm up to give me close but different sound. Cary hit the ground running. Wife and I both enjoyed listening to Cary.
So if you are in Toronto area I am getting off this Sonic Cliff. Sold!

My fellow Torontonian, we need to see the other components in your system. There might be a glaring mismatch - especially with speakers.

Hey - if the REF150/5SE combo isn't for you - that's cool. I once bought a preamp that was all the rage and it wasn't for me (I later found out it was the amp that was the sore thumb of the group!)

The REF150 won product of the year. The REF5SE has only received rave reviews and is the preamp I would own right now, if there wasn't a REF10. BUT - if you prefer the Cary sound, go for the SLP-05 preamp and find a good Cary amp and never look back.

I do say, you might have a bad unit(s) or you really need to wait the 600+ hours (not an easy thing to do).

Mike