Ref Phono 10 vs Ref 2 SE

[Number95]

Has anyone listened to or compared them? After moving to Ref 10 pre and hearing what it is capable of even after 200 hours of burn-in, I wonder if it is worth considering Ref 10 phono as an upgrade from my Ref 2 SE. Ref 2 SE came to replace my older PH-7 and differences were really significant hence price difference was worth the upgrade. Looking at specs, however, Ref 10 phono does not seem to be different rather than seperate power supply, 2 inputs, same gain stage and noise&hum as Ref 2 SE.

[Jerome W]

Originally Posted by Number95

Has anyone listened to or compared them? After moving to Ref 10 pre and hearing what it is capable of even after 200 hours of burn-in, I wonder if it is worth considering Ref 10 phono as an upgrade from my Ref 2 SE. Ref 2 SE came to replace my older PH-7 and differences were really significant hence price difference was worth the upgrade. Looking at specs, however, Ref 10 phono does not seem to be different rather than seperate power supply, 2 inputs, same gain stage and noise&hum as Ref 2 SE.

Just a guess : ARC, like McIntosh, CJ and few other companies do not take their consumers for fools ( this is NOT unfortunately the case with all companies....), and most of the time ( but of course there are exceptions ), you get a quality proportional of the price you pay.
I would be very suprised if the Ref10 phono would not be clearly above the Ref2SE.

[analog brother]

big difference in price!

[Frank750]

Originally Posted by analog brother

big difference in price!

Big difference in performance. I've had them both. More of everything with the Ref10. Better bass, wider, deeper, more detailed soundstage and more. You need the Ref10 preamp or equivalent and very good ancillaries to get everything out of it.

[Number95]

Originally Posted by Frank750

Big difference in performance. I've had them both. More of everything with the Ref10. Better bass, wider, deeper, more detailed soundstage and more. You need the Ref10 preamp or equivalent and very good ancillaries to get everything out of it.

Thank you Frank. Since I have Ref 10 pre, I get the idea from your remarks that the differences between Ref 10 phono and Ref 2 SE will be clearly audible. I wish they increased the inputs to 3 or 4 (like VAC's double chassis phono pre).