Ref 5 SE - Over 400 hrs

[Ritmo]

jpspock - At 400 hrs you will no longer hear major changes in the sound of the 5SE. You will hear it sound steadily better as hours add up to 600. Its a shame that it takes so many hours; however, it is a fantastic unit.

[jpspock]

Thx Mike, so at 400h is he at 90% of his best level? And for the new caps, do they need more than 600h to be burned in?

JEan-Paul

[Ritmo]

JP - After 400 it continued to get better - no ups and downs. So, it is probably at 80% there.

[jpspock]

good news because ups and downs are very boring.

[hifinutt]

I had a arc ref 5 but it got lost in the post and sold at auction.......its a long story !!!
then had a ref 5 se and so enjoyed it but had to sell . wonderful pre , highly recommended

[Chewie]

Hi all,

My first proper post on AA, though I've been a very long time lurker, so be gentle! . . .

I'm in the process of setting up a my new stereo system (being mainly into HT, and listening to music through that up until now).

The speakers are already ordered - Revel Salon 2's - so I'm now looking into pre-amps and DAC's, and really like the look of, and what I've read about, the Ref 5 SE.

However, the price new is stretching the budget right now, so I am considering a second hand Ref 3 until I can upgrade to the Ref 5SE.

I have a couple of questions then:

1. If I went for a high quality DAC (Jeff Rowland Aries, Chord QBD76 HDSD), most seem to have good digital or even analogue volume control/pre-amp stages - would the addition of a Ref 5 SE or Ref 3 add much in this case, versus going direct to the amps? Has anyone that has made this comparison offer their opinions?

2. How does the Ref 3 compare to the Ref 5 SE, has anyone compared them side by side? What are the general differences in sound quality?

Thanks in advance,

- Gareth

[NOLG4EVR]

Originally Posted by Chewie

Hi all,

My first proper post on AA, though I've been a very long time lurker, so be gentle! . . .

I'm in the process of setting up a my new stereo system (being mainly into HT, and listening to music through that up until now).

The speakers are already ordered - Revel Salon 2's - so I'm now looking into pre-amps and DAC's, and really like the look of, and what I've read about, the Ref 5 SE.

However, the price new is stretching the budget right now, so I am considering a second hand Ref 3 until I can upgrade to the Ref 5SE.

I have a couple of questions then:

1. If I went for a high quality DAC (Jeff Rowland Aries, Chord QBD76 HDSD), most seem to have good digital or even analogue volume control/pre-amp stages - would the addition of a Ref 5 SE or Ref 3 add much in this case, versus going direct to the amps? Has anyone that has made this comparison offer their opinions?

2. How does the Ref 3 compare to the Ref 5 SE, has anyone compared them side by side? What are the general differences in sound quality?

Thanks in advance,

- Gareth

The ref5se is much better. I have one and am very happy with it. Go for the ref5se. I believe there is one for sale here on AA right now at a very attractive price. Timing is everything.

[Ritmo]

I have 850 hrs in my Ref 5se. It sounds fantastic!

[hifinutt]

Originally Posted by Chewie

Hi all,

My first proper post on AA, though I've been a very long time lurker, so be gentle! . . .

I'm in the process of setting up a my new stereo system (being mainly into HT, and listening to music through that up until now).

The speakers are already ordered - Revel Salon 2's - so I'm now looking into pre-amps and DAC's, and really like the look of, and what I've read about, the Ref 5 SE.

However, the price new is stretching the budget right now, so I am considering a second hand Ref 3 until I can upgrade to the Ref 5SE.

I have a couple of questions then:

1. If I went for a high quality DAC (Jeff Rowland Aries, Chord QBD76 HDSD), most seem to have good digital or even analogue volume control/pre-amp stages - would the addition of a Ref 5 SE or Ref 3 add much in this case, versus going direct to the amps? Has anyone that has made this comparison offer their opinions?

2. How does the Ref 3 compare to the Ref 5 SE, has anyone compared them side by side? What are the general differences in sound quality?

Thanks in advance,

- Gareth

yes have tried dacs into power amps many times and adding a pre amp esp the ref 5 takes it to stratospheric levels of soundstage musicality etc
you could try a LS27 perhaps or even a puresound L300 if ythey are available which would give a ref5se a run for the money at less money but not sure if widely available

pre & power amplifiers

[Chewie]

Many thanks for the responses guys, they have me even more intrigued no!

@ NOLG4EVR - where abouts is that ad, I can't seem to find a classifieds section?

@ hifinutt - Thanks for the comment on direct DAC use, out of interest which DAC's have you tested direct to amps?

To all Ref 5 SE owners, what other pre-amps did you test the Ref 5 SE against before making your decision, and what specific attributes of the Ref 5 Se's performance swung it for you over the pre-amp you were demoing against?