Not sure why there’s any need for secrecy. The ARC phono stages are great (I used to have a REF 2SE) but like all ARC pre amps relatively colored to the “musical” side of things. They make almost everything sound wonderful, sometimes realer than real. I changed mine for an obscure battery powered phono (see my system description) at 3x the cost of the ARCs which brings more dynamics and immediacy and a more precisely defined sound stage but I lost the flexibility and the romanticism of the Ref 2. I kept all the same cables. If you already own the ARC investing in footers is a good near term step. The Marigo mystery feet work wonders.
Phono stage evolution after the ARC Ref2, Ref2SE or Ref 3
For those who had the Ref2 or Ref3 models, and moved onto another phono stage, would you kindly share here what it was that made you make the change, pros/cons of the ARC vs. what you needed up with. And what is your TT setup, cartridge model, voltage output, tonearm cable, etc. Did you also find a power cord and/or interconnect that was outstanding with the phono stage to your line stage? And did you continue to use those cables with the new phono stage?
John
John