Ref 2SE Phono Discontinued

[patrick]

I am thinking of picking up one of the discontinued Ref2 SE's for a discounted price from one of the dealers on A'gon. Currently run a Whest 03RDTSE....have been offered trade terms which are attractive. Worth it? Note, I am not normally in the market for $10k+ phono stages so this is likely a one-off for the long-haul in my rig.

[tdh888]

Hi guys ,

I can't afford a REF Phono 3 that's why I'm waiting for somebody to sell their REF Phono 2 SE when they upgrade. Unfortunately there is non available for sale in our country . I also have to sell either my SP10MK2 or my D250 MK 2 in order to afford it .

tdh888

[patrick]

Indeed, I did pick one up and have just installed it after getting a good trade-in. I like what I am hearing so far but people tell me I have to wait til it has hundreds of hours of music through it before I really will hear its qualities....wow -- this could take more than a few months! Luckily, I actually like what I'm hearing so far.

One minor concern -- since I am new to tube phonos. Turning it on and off (I leave other components on all the time) requires me to learn this behavior, but if the tubes are good for 2000 hours min (according to the manual) it does seem a shame to leave it on while not spinning vinyl. I would think though that it is turning on and off that puts more wear on tubes and circuits than leaving it on all day.....what do you experienced owners do?

thanks

[Alki]

Originally Posted by patrick

One minor concern -- since I am new to tube phonos. Turning it on and off (I leave other components on all the time) requires me to learn this behavior, but if the tubes are good for 2000 hours min (according to the manual) it does seem a shame to leave it on while not spinning vinyl. I would think though that it is turning on and off that puts more wear on tubes and circuits than leaving it on all day.....what do you experienced owners do?

thanks

Congrats on the new addition.

Any tube gear in my system is off when not listening. The only item I leave on 24 / 7 / 365 is my SS amp. If I had a SS pre it would be left on as well, but my pre is tube based.

[cleeds]

Originally Posted by patrick

... it does seem a shame to leave it on while not spinning vinyl. I would think though that it is turning on and off that puts more wear on tubes and circuits than leaving it on all day.....what do you experienced owners do?

You can do either one or the other. You will have shorter tube life if you leave it on all the time, ime. I don't think powering up modern tube equipment really stresses tubes that much - especially preamp tubes.

[patrick]

Thanks -- that matters. If the on and off cycle is gentle on the tubes then time 'on' is the main issue.

[pete6737]

When I broke in my Ref5SE preamp, I listened in the first hour: Better than what I had replaced, but not the sound I heard in the showroom. I left it on a came back later that day with 8 hours, and it was better, left it on until the next day much better. Then I shut everything down nightly. After about 200 hours of regular use, I finally started to hear a lot more details and some edginess was gone and everything started to settle down. Today at 515 hours, everything is just peachy! Get through the first 100 and you'll be just fine! I did this same break in with my Ref75SE and all is well. Pete

BTW I am drooling for a Ref2SE for my analog section. I hope they aren't all scooped up when I'm ready to buy later this year! You are a lucky dog, Patrick!

[audioguy3107]

Originally Posted by pete6737

When I broke in my Ref5SE preamp, I listened in the first hour: Better than what I had replaced, but not the sound I heard in the showroom. I left it on a came back later that day with 8 hours, and it was better, left it on until the next day much better. Then I shut everything down nightly. After about 200 hours of regular use, I finally started to hear a lot more details and some edginess was gone and everything started to settle down. Today at 515 hours, everything is just peachy! Get through the first 100 and you'll be just fine! I did this same break in with my Ref75SE and all is well. Pete

BTW I am drooling for a Ref2SE for my analog section. I hope they aren't all scooped up when I'm ready to buy later this year! You are a lucky dog, Patrick!

Try not to wait too long! I just got one of the close outs last week and it's every bit as good as the feedback. It really raised the performance of the analog front end big time.

- Buck

[cleeds]

The more I listen to the Ref Phono 2SE, the more it amazes me. It's really a remarkable phono preamp and by the far the best I've ever heard in my system. And of course it's a perfect match with ARC's Ref line stages.