I have auditioned the Arcam, Creek, Audio Refinement and Rega units--unfortunately not in the same setup, so take my thoughts with the proverbial grain of salt.
My .02, since you really liked the Arcam (I did, too), I doubt you will care for the Audio Refinement. It is warmer, less detailed and almost flabby sounding--not really appropriate for rock IMHO. The Creek is fairly similar to the Arcam, but struck me as somewhat unexciting in its presentation. The Rega to my ears sits somewhere in between Arcam/Creek and Audio Refinement in terms of detail and warmth, although on the Arcam/Creek side of the middle.
While the Arcam was my favorite of the four, I would be leery of pairing it with NHTs--could be too bright. I would guess the Rega (my second favorite) might be a better match.
My .02, since you really liked the Arcam (I did, too), I doubt you will care for the Audio Refinement. It is warmer, less detailed and almost flabby sounding--not really appropriate for rock IMHO. The Creek is fairly similar to the Arcam, but struck me as somewhat unexciting in its presentation. The Rega to my ears sits somewhere in between Arcam/Creek and Audio Refinement in terms of detail and warmth, although on the Arcam/Creek side of the middle.
While the Arcam was my favorite of the four, I would be leery of pairing it with NHTs--could be too bright. I would guess the Rega (my second favorite) might be a better match.