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Audio Research State of the Art Audio Reproduction |
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#11
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The Lost Bears:
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And yes, there are too many ugly speakers out there at the moment. |
#12
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Tim and John - thanks for the additional updates. I am sure the LS25 Mk I is no where near the quality of the REF3.
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#13
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The Lost Bears:
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Thanks, Walter |
#14
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I am not a big fan of the LS27. In my system the LS27 sounded thin and lacked life. Yes it is better than the LS25 mk1 in a lot of ways. But it is not a preamp I could live with long term. Not in the system I had at the time anyway. When I bought my Ref 5se I still owned my SL3s. So all my preamp comparisons were with the SL3s and not my current Elipsa SEs. Have you noticed how the Ref 150 sounds fuller, more organic than the VT100? It does with the mk3 anyway. I never spent a lot of time with a mk2. The LS27 sounded the same way to me. While the sound was more detailed, it lacked the magic In a lot of ways I preferred the sound of my old V70 to the VT100 mk3.
A Ref 5se is worth waiting for. One will come up. ARC made some good pieces. But then there are some that are truly great The Ref 5se is truly great. The difference between the LS27 or even the Ref 5 is huge. It is a keeper. Have you played around with power cords? I found that the right power cord can also make a big difference. The Ref 5se has a 20 amp socket so I also had to replace my power cord. I really like Shunyata cords with Audio Research. |
#15
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I have Shunyata Alpha HC on both the REF150 and the LS25 Mk1. I do not have a Shunyata Triton. Currently have Hydra alphas - 4 and 6. With the 2 VT100s Mk2s, I had two Alpha HCs on the amps and an Alpha analog on the pre-amp. Hydra 6 is connected to the wall using a Sigma HC power cord. Amp goes directly into the wall as I found that the Hydra seemed to limit the amp.
Last edited by birdland; 02-27-2017 at 11:27 PM. Reason: added more power cords |
#16
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I have a slightly different wrinkle to add to this discussion. I too have an older ARC line stage. In my case it is the LS-15. Although old, and a step down from the LS25 my LS15 was modded a few years ago by Steve Huntley when he owned Great Northern Sound. I don't recall the specifics but he did a pretty major revision and upgraded a lot of parts. The modification also included a set of NOS tubes. It seemed to be a significant upgrade to the original LS15 but like the original poster, I wonder how it compares to the newer preamps. Is anyone here familiar with the Great Northern Sound modifications...and would care to speculate on the sound quality my preamp relative to the newer models?
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#17
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Steve has a storied history in the industry, but no longer operates GNS. I'd be confident that the upgrades he provided would have significantly improved the performance of your preamp, but as to how it would compare to newer ARC models would be very difficult to say without being able to make a direct comparison. Just enjoy it!
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#18
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I went from a LS15 to a LS16MKII on the recommendation of the ARC service rep when I checked on factory upgrades to the LS15. The LS16MKII uses the 6H30 tube architecture, and the improvement was immediately apparent. IMHO If I decide to move up the ARC chain the preamp will have 6H30 tubes.
Regards, Jim
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It's all about the Music, but I sure like the way my gear makes it come alive! Last edited by ehoove; 03-04-2017 at 07:57 AM. |
#19
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After finding an ARC Reference 5SE for sale on Audiogon and losing it because I hemmed and hawed about the purchase, a second 5SE showed up and I bought it. It should arrive sometime next week. I will see if all of the praise for the REF 5SE is worth it.
I am looking forward to much better sound. Of course, having an ARC Ref 5SE and a REF 150 might reveal other limitations in my setup. |
#20
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Walter......Now you're talking! .
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Dan STUDIO - McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MR88, Aurender N10, Esoteric K-01X, Shunyata Sigma spdif digital cable, Sonos Connect, PurePower 2000, Stillpoints, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE, Michell HR Power Supply, SME 309, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Wireworld, Sonus faber Amati Anniversario LIVING ROOM - McIntosh C2300, MC75 (2), MR85, Magnum Dynalab 205, Simaudio MOON Neo 260D-T, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil, Aurender N100H, Shunyata Sigma USB cable, Micro Seiki DD40, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, Nakamichi BX-300, Sony 60ES DAT, PS Audio P10, Furutech Flux 50, Sonos Connect, Stillpoints, Wireworld, Kimber, PMC EB1i, JL Audio f113 VINTAGE - McIntosh MA230, Tandberg 3011A tuner, Olive 04HD, Sony DTC-59ES DAT, McIntosh 4300V, JBL 4312A |
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