Ref-2se in house

[MtnHam]

Just dropped an AR Ref-2se into the system to possibly replace the the Aesthetix Rhea. All I can say at this point is WOW! Everything I have read from the critics seems to be true. Weight, quiet, spatiality, etc. Had been considering the Rhea upgrade to Signature. Comments?

[Ritmo]

Congrats! Is this a new unit or broken in?

[MtnHam]

Originally Posted by Ritmo

Congrats! Is this a new unit or broken in?

It's a dealer demo and has 400 hours on it.

[cmalak]

Both excellent. Does your dealer have a Rhea Signature he can loan you to demo side-by-side with the Ref 2SE? Clearly that would be the definitive way to determine for yourself, whether the added cost of the 2SE is worth it from your perspective.

[MtnHam]

Originally Posted by cmalak

Both excellent. Does your dealer have a Rhea Signature he can loan you to demo side-by-side with the Ref 2SE? Clearly that would be the definitive way to determine for yourself, whether the added cost of the 2SE is worth it from your perspective.

Good suggestion. I will inquire. He is an Aesthetix dealer.

[dminches]

Which gain setting do people use with the 2SE? Low or high?

[sanji]

The low setting along with the balanced output is supposed to me the best. I personally use the high gain.

[MPS]

High gain/1000R loading (BAL output) with Benz Micro Ruby 3 but it really depends on your cartridge. I think you might be ok with low gain with your Ruby H, you could try loading 47k or 1k. Total gain is depending on output, 6dB less for SE.

[dminches]

I have been using the 47k loading for now. I think it sounds a little better with the high gain. Not really sure. I am going single ended to my Cary Pre.

[dminches]

The one advantage of using the low gain is that I can better control subtle changes in the volume with my Cary Pre remote.