Thoughts on phono stages; Audio Research PH 9 vs. the Ref 3?

The ARC Ref phono preamps are terrific. I'm still using my Ref2SE Phono with my Ref6SE and it sounds fantastic. If you're interested in the Ref3 Phono, you might want to wait just a little bit. With ARC replacing the Ref6SE with the new Ref7, it's likely they'll also eventually update the Ref Phono, too. That means there will be dealer demos offered on the Ref3, and those come with warranty and a steep discount.

Also have the REF. 2SE and think it’s fantastic, 

The "Low Gain" / MM mode (6H30 stages) was absolutely stellar; still probably the best I’ve heard / owned. The "High Gain" mode was indeed very good sounding, but not without issues and probably not quite in line with this (very high) price point. Feels like some noise shielding and grounding optimization was missed. I fixed that by using Low Gain with a SUT. 

@cleeds hat means there will be dealer demos offered on the Ref3, and those come with warranty and a steep discount.

Thanks for the tip. Ref3 is a great phono

Thanks so much.  I'm working towards getting a REF 3 SE. What is an SUT in the low gain ?  Wonder if that's an issue with the 3 SE?

I asked a dealer if the PH 9 with be updated or replaced. 2016 released.He said he reached out to ARC and the answer is No, not for a few years. They think the PH9 sounds better than the Ref 3.
Good point on the Ref 3 SE being replaced since the Ref 6 SE was just replaced with the Ref 7 SE. Anyone have any issues with the Ref 3 SE, I wonder?
Thanks again