Compare: Modwright LS 36.5 & Audio Research LS26

Copilot:
Thanks for your thorough and thoughtful analysis.
My analog front end is a TW Acustic Raven One Table, a Graham Phanton arm and a Dynavector XX2MkII cartridge. The phono pre is a Modwright SWP 9 with
NOS Mullard 5AR4 in the power supply and old Russian military 6np1's in the gain stage.
The tube changes have made the pre a bit "tubier" while preserving the resolution and staging of the stock preamplifier. Cabling is Synergistic research Tesla Accelerator.
The line stage upgrade is the final major piece...other than power cords etc.
Your input is valuable.....much appreciated.

Wow. Perfect. It's going to be even more better than I thought.
I love the TW Acustic Tables. I spent most of my time at RMAF this fall in the two rooms hosted by Jeffrey and Thomas. I plan on buying a Raven table in the next 6 months - must save some money first. Patience!

Would you agree your set up leans towards more accuracy than romance now? Do you plan on changing up your cart?

My opinion is the ARC preamps may be a bit too lean in your set up - unless you like extremely tight, really crisp sound with the sort of brilliant tonality the Ref3 is known for. I tend towards liking that myself but I have always found the Ref3 one step too far. I have heard the Sophias with ARC amps and the Ref3 several times now. The sound has been great for a portion of the time but for an equal amount of the time I found myself pushed by the lean, almost etched sound. I honestly can't say what was going on - bad recordings, wrong load - I can't remember if it was the TT or the digital that was giving me a headache but it's happened a few times.(I really like the Sophias with BAT tube amps. They add just a bit of romance to the Sophias - which seem to me to sound dry and sterile if not matched up with the right amps.)

Seeing you have already swapped rectifiers in your SWP I imagine you like a bit less of that and more heft, more bloom. The 36.5 has a bit of that but not much. It is a 6h30 pre after all - it's very neutral. Swapping out the rectifier in the 36.5 will do the same as it's done in your SWP so you know what's possible there.

Is the same thing possible with the REF3? I don't know. It'd be good to find out.

I haven't heard the LS26 but I own the 36.5 (single box) and had the Ref 3 in my system for a few days. Both are great linestages with different strengths. I'm not sure which unit I would prefer over the long haul although the Ref 3 with about 250 hours on it may have needed more time.

The Modwright excels in low level resolution/ambient detail, imaging, and refinement. It's sound can also be altered by changing the rectifier. The GZ34/5AR4 is standard but it can also take the GZ32/5V4 and
GZ37/5U4 families. Upgrading to NOS is highly recommended.

The ARC throws a bigger, more enveloping soundstage, has more bass impact and stronger macro dynamics.

This is obviously an unfair comparison as the single box 36.5 retails for $5k and the Ref 3 for $9k. However, from all reports the Dual Mono 36.5 ($9k) would have all of the advantages of both the above pieces. There's a used one being offered for sale now.

Rpf:

Thanks for your input
Where is the 36.5 listed?

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