Preview of the Audio Research Ref 150 amp from The Audio Beat...

[Dafos]

Tone pub, I noticed your an avid fan of AVID products, just wondering if you've ever tried their pulsare phono stage?

[Dafos]

Hi asterisk. Prior to the ref 150 I had been auditioning the vtm 200 and the ref 110. The ref 110 was the more refined amp, smoother all around. However, it simply could not match the scale and vividness, the sheer presence that seemed to come so easy with the vtm 200. I believe its this somewhat "gentle" nature of the 110 that makes you favor the old d 250 which are very dynamic amps. I thought that it may have been a power issue UNTIL the ref 150 came along. That easy sense of placing living, breathing, dimensional images within the soundstage was apparent right out of the box, MINUS the hardening to the vtm 200's sound once you cranked up the volume. The vtm 200 in absolute terms is still the more powerful amp and this is very apparent vs the 110 but vs the 150 the 50 watt deficit seems a non issue. it's quite difficult to put into words the magnificence of the 150's sound but alll I can say is that it put to rest clearly and definitively the dilemma of whether to go with a used vtm 200 or a ref 110. Unfortunately i cannot comment on how it will compare to ur beloved d 250. Now if you really need the extra power just wait for the spanking new ref 250 that'll be making it's debut this weekend. i assume that that unit, at double the price and which arc is claiming to be the BEST amp they've ever produced should put all performance issues to rest.

[Asterisk]

Thanks Dafos!

Amazing how well you describe it. It's exactly what I've been hearing.

It may take a while before I get to audition a broken-in ref 150 and I'm really hoping that it gives me what I hoping for. My trouble now is I got to hear the Ref 250 first so I'm hoping my date with a ref 150 would be just as pleasant.

Not to spoil the excitement but here's a teaser for the Ref 250

[Tonepub]

Originally Posted by Dafos

Tone pub, I noticed your an avid fan of AVID products, just wondering if you've ever tried their pulsare phono stage?

I own one...

Full review here:

The AVID Pulsare Phonostage – Reviews | TONEAudio MAGAZINE

[cmalak]

Originally Posted by tima

Whoa - a tease indeed and its looking good!! Is this a monoblock?

Yes it is

[Dafos]

Originally Posted by tonepub

I own one...

Full review here:

The AVID Pulsare Phonostage – Reviews | TONEAudio MAGAZINE

Yup, a 10k phono stage for for roughly half the cost. But did you notice that, when hooked to the ref 5, it's output in balanced mode is the same as it's output when connected to an RCA input? However, when hooked to the balanced input of the ref 5 then u switch it to se mode the output decreases, as it should. This puzzles me since the volume level when connected to ref 5's RCA input should be lower than when hooked to balanced input.

[Asterisk]

Originally Posted by tima

Whoa - a tease indeed and its looking good!! Is this a monoblock?

Yeah, just as cmalak said it's monoblock

Happened to see it when I returned to the dealer a phono stage I auditioned.

[jpgr4blu]

Hi Dafos:
Sorry I took so long to respond to your query of 7/12. I have compared the Ref 110 with KT 120s to the Ref 150 with KT 120s and, as you suspected, while the KT 120s slightly improved the Ref 110 all around, the Ref 150 has improved markedly on palpability esp,
vocals. Tubes alone were not the answer on that issue.
Also, to correct one of my past posts, the Ref 40 is the best component I have ever heard. The Ref 40 banishes the ostensible emphasis on the leading edge that the Ref 5 had a by filling in the body of the notes/voices. So now we get the leading edge undiminished and while also getting fuller body and more vivid textures allowing for a very natural sounding rendition. Almost unARC-like, but better. The Ref 150 does the same trick only not to the same extent as the Ref 40 (which is not faint praise because the Ref 40 is closer to the source and will tend to have a greater impact).

[turntable]

Originally Posted by jpgr4blu

Hi Dafos:
Sorry I took so long to respond to your query of 7/12. I have compared the Ref 110 with KT 120s to the Ref 150 with KT 120s and, as you suspected, while the KT 120s slightly improved the Ref 110 all around, the Ref 150 has improved markedly on palpability esp,
vocals. Tubes alone were not the answer on that issue.
Also, to correct one of my past posts, the Ref 40 is the best component I have ever heard. The Ref 40 banishes the ostensible emphasis on the leading edge that the Ref 5 had a by filling in the body of the notes/voices. So now we get the leading edge undiminished and while also getting fuller body and more vivid textures allowing for a very natural sounding rendition. Almost unARC-like, but better. The Ref 150 does the same trick only not to the same extent as the Ref 40 (which is not faint praise because the Ref 40 is closer to the source and will tend to have a greater impact).

The ref 40 is sounding like a cj preamp from your description

[Dafos]

Jpgrblue, thanks for your reply. The local dealer is egging me to try the ref 40 to replace my ref 5. I've been hesitating because of the cost but your description is pushing me closer to an abyss! Not to mention the fact that the production run Of the ref anniversary is now over, making it for all intents and purposes a collectors item.