Ref. 5se or Ref 150?

[tunes]

not sure why you would trade the ref 5se as it is a sweet piece and not the cause of your heat. The ref 150 will cause your room to heat. With no AC, and the crazy heat hitting North America this summer, ARC ref tube amps will warm all but the largest basement hall! That said, I wouldn't trade the sound for cool temp. Just wait for fall
If it is convenience you're after rather than heat, and you're no longer interested in flipping vinyl, the ref DAC or alternate (Sooloos, etc.) with ipad app would be hard to beat IMO.

[karsajid]

I have unscrewed the plexi cover on my REF5 SE, and just slide it back when heat is a concern. It dramatically reduces heat buildup even if half the covered area is left open.

The same for my REF210s. The cover is unscrewed and I remove it if it's a hot day.

[Banter]

Unfortunately this discussion got derailed by folks arguing about how hot or cold the Ref 5 (se) runs.

I was hoping to get some discussion on, if I were to get the Ref. DAC , which seems to have the functionality of a preamp, and since I will no longer be spinning vinyl, would I still be needing Ref. 5Se?

Present setup:

Aurender s10 -> DAC 8 -> Ref 5se -> Ref. 150 -> Mon.Audio PL200

[microstrip]

Originally Posted by Banter

Unfortunately this discussion got derailed by folks arguing about how hot or cold the Ref 5 (se) runs.

I was hoping to get some discussion on, if I were to get the Ref. DAC , which seems to have the functionality of a preamp, and since I will no longer be spinning vinyl, would I still be needing Ref. 5Se?

Present setup:

Aurender s10 -> DAC 8 -> Ref 5se -> Ref. 150 -> Mon.Audio PL200

I think it is still too early to get opinions on the REF DAC - the only available review comes from Germany in the Audiophile special joint publication of Audio and Stereoplay. The author wrote great things about it, but it was a pre-production unit.

[cmalak]

Originally Posted by Banter

Unfortunately this discussion got derailed by folks arguing about how hot or cold the Ref 5 (se) runs.

I was hoping to get some discussion on, if I were to get the Ref. DAC , which seems to have the functionality of a preamp, and since I will no longer be spinning vinyl, would I still be needing Ref. 5Se?

Present setup:

Aurender s10 -> DAC 8 -> Ref 5se -> Ref. 150 -> Mon.Audio PL200

From a functionality perspective, if you only plan on using one digital source, then the answer is yes but just keep in mind if you decide that you want to add other digital/analog sources down the road that you may not have that flexibility with the Ref DAC (definitely if you are going to want to add analog back into the chain). As for the sound of the Ref DAC, I don't think there is enough info on that front. Good luck.

[Ritmo]

+1

Mike

[enatai252]

I have a Ref DAC on order...it is suppose to start shipping end of July...although not holding my breath. I plan to keep a preamp between the Ref DAC and the Ref 250s...but as others mentioned...its because I do still spin vinyl (SME 20/3 and Ref Phono 2SE) and use other sources. I will use the pass through input of my KX-R preamp on the Ref DAC input...and use the volume control of the DAC.

oh....and I wonder if it will run hot...

[trponhunter]

If your ready to go all digital- dump the pre amp and get the ref dac. The pre amp would just be additional circuitry in the signal that you don't need.

[cmalak]

Do we know if the volume control in the REF DAC is done in the analog domain (i.e., does the Ref DAC have volume control and analog output stage from the Ref 5SE) or is the volume control done in the digital domain?

[Ritmo]

Good question Cyril.

Mike