Ref-75-SE delivered ...


It arrived late yesterday via UPS. I had company over last night so I didn't hook it up 'till this morning. I had it playing by 7:30.

I sold the REF-75 early last month and was using my spare, which is a great sounding ARC- Classic 60. Man, if someone is looking for a musical amp at a reasonable price, the CL-60 would be a good way to go. It kind of has that vintage tube sound. Listening to music through it, is kind of like watching a good Technicolor movie. Hey, who doesn't like watching the original version of The Wizard of Oz? Its not right, but its beautiful. I mean, when you walk outside, Technicolor doesn't hit you in the face ... reality does.

Which brings me to the REF-75 and the REF-75 SE.

I bought my original REF-75 over two years ago, brand new, with KT120 tubes. What struck me about that amp was the lack of grain, the soundstage and the tonality. It played big and it played beautifully. That's what I thought until I swapped out the KT120's for a new quad of KT150's. Now that brought the amp up to a new level. Audio nirvana, I thought. Hummph, silly me.

Enter the REF-75 SE.

Fist thing, I let it cook for about a half hour in order to get the amp to stablize so I could check the bias. Good thing too because both sides needed biasing. The right channel was all way over to the "Caution" level.

Upon initial listening, I was really taken by how quiet this amp is ... I mean QUIET!! Not digital quiet, that kind of quiet just sounds totally artificial to me. What I mean is ... its a natural quietness unlike any tube amp I've ever heard.

For the first two hours, it was better than the REF-75 it replaced by maybe 20% or so. At the two hour mark, things really started to open up. Here's what my notes say:

Quiet!
Articulate.
Dynamic.
Decay of notes.
Presense.
Fast.
Leading edge of notes.
Weight in the lower registers of the piano.
Sustained notes - has me hanging on a thread.

So how does this play out when listening to music?

Like most of us, I have a little section of records (among thousands) that I use for reference purposes. They are the ones I listen to first when evaluating new equipment. I know every nuance of these records. Listened to them hundreds of time.

First up - Sue Raney on the Discovery label. The SE allowed me to hear the volume of air, and the force and reduction of force that was coming out of Sue Reney's chest and up through her throat. On the third cut, there is a triangle that the percussionist delicately hits. With all previous amps, I thought there was just one triangle. Turns out, there are three. For the first time, I could hear the slight difference in the notes. That was hidden before.

Second up- Sammy Davis Jr. Sings. Laurindo Almedia Plays. Reprise RS-6236.
Again, like the Sue Raney album, the air coming out of Sammy's chest and across his vocal chords and all of the subtlety of that was in his total control. Then, I realized that all of the really great singers do this and that's why they have the great instruments they do.
The guitar work being done here by Almedia is superb. Not my favorite guitarist, but on this album his playing grabs you by the emotions. BUT, through this amp ... a different world. The leading edge of the notes and the subtle decay of those notes make this album extra special now.

Keep in mind that we are only two hours in on this new amp at this point. The sound stage is still constricted and the 3-D imaging is on a par with the Classic 60, and not as good as the old REF-3.

Over the course of the day, I continued listening for a couple of hours each time. The more time that passed, the better the amp got.

Next Album .. about 4 hours in: The Norman Luboff Choir .. "But Beautiful" Columbia CS-8114. This is a demo quality record that has a tremendously wide sound stage. Its fun. The chorus is spread behind the speakers and goes from wall to wall. And now, I'm getting a 3-D image like never before. The articulation in each chorus member's voice has never sounded better ... not even close. There is a female soloist named Betty Mulliner who has her place behind and just to the left of the right speaker. With all other amps I've had, she has sounded diffused. The original REF-75 brought her out of the mist ... but not like the new SE. Now, she is in total focus and its like I can see her head move and hear her lips smack. I can get a true sense of her personality. Same thing on every vocal record I played today. Get this album if you like beautiful classic pop music from the 40's and 50's

Next: John Williams Paganni:Guitar trio - Hayden: Guitar Quartet. Columbia MS 7163. Again, this is a sound stage spectacular. I love this album, not just because I'm a classical guitar freak, but because its a great test of equipment when looking for correct tonality. Like the once vague female soloist in the last album, there is a cello in the right rear of the sound stage that keeps getting more refined as my system improves. With the REF-75SE .. gone is the vagueness. All of it. That cello is now in the room, tonally correct, and very moving. And John Williams? For the first time, I heard the strings of his guitar vibrate. The decay of the notes seemed to last forever. How may accolades can I pile onto Mr. Perfection on the classical guitar? Buy this album, you won't regret it.

Finally a mono record to die for: Dave Brubeck's Jazz Impressions of The USA." This record never came out in stereo. Near as I can tell reading the liner notes, it was recorded sometime in '55 or early '56. This is Paul Desmond at his very best. Not as hard boppin' as the Oberlan College album ... but man 'O man ... the second cut "Summer Song" has Paul Desmond right there in the room. Its never sounded better than today.

So, that kind of gives you guys a hint of what was going on at my place today. The amp burned in for 12 hours, and toward the end the sound stage has filled out nicely, dynamics are startling, musicians were in 3-D relief, and most importantly to me, the instruments all sounded tonally correct.

My source tells me that at this point, the amp is only scratching the surface. He says ... wait until 200 hours has gone by before seriously writing any review of the new amp. I couldn't wait ... its that good. Bottom line for all ARC REF amp owners ... even at this early stage, I can honestly say... the SE kills the old amp. Go for the upgrade.
128x128oregonpapa
Oregonpapa, I have a bit of an argument with you. If the gold prices were adjusted for inflation the price would be 3000.00. Gold is currently trading at 1200.00. Gold is down 35 percent from it's recent highs. Sure if you got out at 1800.00 an ounce you would of made a ton of money. But most gold bugs don't sell. They say they buy gold as a hedge against inflation. Well if that is the case it's not working very well at the moment. I think the big traders that flip a lot of gold stocks make most of the money in the market. The buy and hold guys, not so much.
Oregonpapa, thanks very much for your comments.
For myself, I can't help think thinking you should consider finding a Ref5se when you see one available. As one who who seems to appreciate the musicality of products I believe you would have a similar or greater appreciation of the improvements made over the Ref3.
I am NOT second guessing your upgrade decision but would be remiss in not mentioning that this upgrade (used) would likely be similar in cost and should probably also be considered. The Ref5se is also a very serious upgrade over the Ref3.
Dbarger ...

No doubt, the REF-5se is a considerable jump over the REF-3. Not so, the REF-5. Even if the REF-5se is better than what I have, and I'm sure it is, I'm holding off until ARC comes out with a new line stage that takes advantage of that "trickle down" effect. In other words, I want my next preamp to have a lot of that technology that the two-box 30k line stage has. Will ARC do it? Who knows, but if history is the benchmark, they may.

Taters ...

The hedge against inflation is the fact that if the monetary system were based upon 100% gold backing, the only way for government to create another dollar would be if another dollar's worth of gold were to be dug out of the ground. Did you read the Alan Greenspan essay I posted? If not, please take the time to read it. I's pretty amazing and really informative.

Dweller ...

I loved your "Hours and Minutes". analogy. Very interesting. It brings up another point ... and that is the popularity of raising the minimum wage without the worker improving his/her efficiency, skill level or production quantity. Its feelgoodism ... and someone is going to have to pay for the difference .. namely, the consumer. Another hidden tax??

Back to the REF-75se.

75 hours on the amp now, and its breaking in nicely with even more musicality, presence and expansive sound staging.

I love harmonica music (don't laugh). There's a CD that those who love great recordings should try to find. Its Robert Bonfigleo live in concert at the Grand Canyon. This is a wonderful recording with a "you are there" presence. Jazz and blues. This is what you'll be looking for:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Live-at-the-Grand-Canyon-by-Robert-Bonfiglio-CD-1994-High-Harmony-b213-/321699745675?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ae6cc8f8b

I know this recording very well. Bonfigleo is one of the world's premier harmonica & chromonica players. He's amazing. The REF-75SE makes this recording come alive like never before. I listened to the entire concert tonight .. and couldn't tear myself away from it. The SE upgrade to the REF-75 has brought my entire music collection to life like never before. And, it gets better after it hits 300 hours? Wow!

Happy listening ... :>)
Again, there is no point around here not worth missing, or analogy worth ignoring. New ARC amps are not the same as collectable guitars...that's a collecting market and as a professional guitar player for decades I understand it. Ferraris are handmade by a relatively small company and produced in small amounts and won't ever compete with the GM Corvettes regarding pricing...they're simply way cheaper to produce, and Porsche Turbos simply perform to a standard and have a feel that can be considered unique. Don't misunderstand my point...I like ARC amps mostly, but I still question the costs even if "trickle down" technology is considered...there is no ground breaking new technology in their new amps as far as I can see, and the pricing is simply what their market will tolerate.
Wolf ...

You hit it. Its market based.

If McDonald's had lines around their establishments willing to pay $10.00 for a burger, they would be selling burgers for $10.00. Personally, I wouldn't pay fifty cents for a McDonald's burger. But In-N-Out, or The Habit? That's a different story.

On the audio stuff ... ARC, like all businesses, is in business to make a profit. They do that by satisfying their customers. When push comes to shove, the customer is the boss that every ARC employee, from the receptionist who answers the phone, to the CEO of the company, must satisfy. From my understanding, ARC's business is doing fine in every market they serve. So ... that means that they are satisfying "The Boss," no?

Evidently, based upon world-wide sales, ARC's customers have the perception that they are receiving value for the money spent. Therefore, can we conclude that your's is an opinion of one, that is not reflected in ARC's customers?

By the way, try that Bonfigleo CD I recommended. Its really an amazing recording. I wish all recording were done like this one.