Reference 6 break-in

[Dsholl1]

This has only 30 hrs and it sounds fabulous.

[RLF]

Originally Posted by Dsholl1

This has only 30 hrs and it sounds fabulous.

[The Lost Bears]

Originally Posted by Dsholl1

Well I have a Ref 6 at home on trial. Very unlikely that it will be returned

That is what happen to me when I brought home a REf 5se to demo. Not only did I buy the Demo Ref 5se, But I ended up buying the matching Ref Phono 2se.

One of the nice things about buying a demo is not having to go through the break in.

[SL1800]

Originally Posted by Dsholl1

This has only 30 hrs and it sounds fabulous.

It will get much better!! Mine really started to bloom at 350 hours. I also ran mine pretty much 24/7 to rack up the hours quickly.

[Sharp 1080]

I had a similar experience when changing over from the Ref 5SE to the Ref 10. It was sounding pretty good and then suddenly changed with the sonics that first week. It did sound more "normal after 250 hours. Honestly the final change in the unit occurred around 600 hours.

[Dsholl1]

Well I have to say this is the best preamp I have ever heard. I’ve had some very good preamps over the years, Shindo, Accuphase, Solution to name a few but they all sound broken compared to the Ref6.

It has a complete lack of congestion and compression.

[oddeophile]

[emoji106][emoji106] welcome to the ARC club.
When you’re ready there are a couple simple tweaks that do NOT alter the preamp but make a very noticeable improvement.
But first... you need to sit down enjoy and break the beauty in and have fun.
The Ref 40 is my final preamp I’ll ever buy. I’m in complete joy with ARC especially their preamps. My tube amp isn’t ARC but the combo is joy to the world.

[2fastdriving]

Originally Posted by Dsholl1

Well I have to say this is the best preamp I have ever heard. I’ve had some very good preamps over the years, Shindo, Accuphase, Solution to name a few but they all sound broken compared to the Ref6.

It has a complete lack of congestion and compression.

This makes me very happy. I love mine as well. I don't see me ever going to another brand for a preamp. I'm in the club and I ain't leaving!

[2fastdriving]

Oh and let me just add... Arc preamps pair well with many amps but if you haven't tried it yet, pair up with an ARC power amp! The synergy is fantastic.

[Charles]

First of all, merry Christmas to everyone. I'm just up in my room listening to music waiting for 1 pm to arrive (our Christmas brunch) so I thought I'd make a comment. I have read parts of this long thread. Extremely interesting and very educational. I went to the AR website and looked at their preamps. I noted the main control is the balance control. AR makes my kind of preamp. No equalizers or anything to interfere with the small signal. I note that AR aficionados must have trained ears that do not reach for equalization every time they hear a "bad" recording. I don't know if AR makes the "best" preamps and amplifiers but one thing I do note: Other than a DAC and CD player, amps and preamps are all they make and they have been doing it for a very long time. And they have developed a faithful following with trained ears who exercise patience in order to hear the recording/music and not what they "think" it ought to sound like. Kudos to AR and to all who own AR gear.

____________________
Charles
Amps: McIntosh 1.25KW’s (3)
Preamp and DAC: McIntosh D1100
Sources: McIntosh MCD1100 SACD player, MVP881 BR player, MVP851 DVD player, MR87 tuner, Marantz 510LV Laser Disc player, ASUS laptop USB (JRiver Media Center 23)
Speakers: Wilson Audio Specialties Alexx
Sub-woofer: Wilson Audio Specialties Thor’s Hammer (1) and Wilson Watch Controller
Cables main system: Audioquest Wel Signature speaker cables and IC’s; Dragon power cords (8)
Sub-woofer system: Audioquest Redwood speaker cable; Wolf IC and Hurricane power cords (2)
Power conditioners: Audioquest Niagara 7000 (1) and Niagara 5000 (2); (4) 20-amp lines