Rrolack...you should make sure there is no impedance mismatch between the preamp you choose and the SS amp you are pairing it with. What SS amp will you be using? Do you have a chance to hear any of these preamps with your SS amp or no? No better way to determine than to hear for yourself with the equipment you will be using.
I can only speak to the ARC house sound (I have the full complement of Ref 3, Ref 110, and Ref CD7 and I can attest to the remarkable synergy when using ARC gear together). How best to describe ARC's most recent house sound? I agree that ARC is not tubey sounding. It is very neutral across the frequency spectrum. Very quiet for tube amplification. Highly resolving and transparent. Solid control of bass bins (again for tubes as you can get tighter and more controlled bass performance from SS). So these are all attributes that actually make ARC sound more SS-like than traditional tube amplification.
What I think ARC excels at is delivering timbral accuracy in the midrange, making instruments and vocals sound very lifelike. ARC gear also throws a 3D soundstage - wide and deep, immersing you in the music. There is no lush, syrupy euphonics here. If you are used to more traditional soft tube sound (all midrange and rounded highs and lows), than ARC's current sound is not for you. Some folks find ARC sound as lean or thinned out. I have not found this to be the case, but again I have not mixed and matched, but use all ARC gear so this may be an issue for others when they don't properly match ARC gear with the rest of their system.
Hope this helps (at least with one of the 3 brands).
I can only speak to the ARC house sound (I have the full complement of Ref 3, Ref 110, and Ref CD7 and I can attest to the remarkable synergy when using ARC gear together). How best to describe ARC's most recent house sound? I agree that ARC is not tubey sounding. It is very neutral across the frequency spectrum. Very quiet for tube amplification. Highly resolving and transparent. Solid control of bass bins (again for tubes as you can get tighter and more controlled bass performance from SS). So these are all attributes that actually make ARC sound more SS-like than traditional tube amplification.
What I think ARC excels at is delivering timbral accuracy in the midrange, making instruments and vocals sound very lifelike. ARC gear also throws a 3D soundstage - wide and deep, immersing you in the music. There is no lush, syrupy euphonics here. If you are used to more traditional soft tube sound (all midrange and rounded highs and lows), than ARC's current sound is not for you. Some folks find ARC sound as lean or thinned out. I have not found this to be the case, but again I have not mixed and matched, but use all ARC gear so this may be an issue for others when they don't properly match ARC gear with the rest of their system.
Hope this helps (at least with one of the 3 brands).