Audio Research Reference Linestages
Thank you for all answers and opinions. Just to comment on a few things that I don't agree with. My Ref One is dead silent. No tube noice at all. But I had that problem with my Ref2 mk2. Might be a problem with more sensitive loudspeakers, but until now it haven't been an issue for me. Tubes at the moment are Telefunken E88CC and Ei E88CC which both are low on noice. Yes, I assume that ARC always are aiming at more detail and higher resolution, but when comparing my Ref One with Ref3 I find Ref One to be better. Higher resolution and more dynamics. Simply more nerve and musicality. But as you say, it's a matter of personal preference. |
Flex2: I am not surprised with your results at all. I still prefer the performance of 6922-based line stages over the 6H30 tube. I had the LS5 MK II for several years when the Ref1 came out. I immediately compared the two and much preferred the LS5. And two other ARC fans did the same thing and we all preferred the LS5. The LS5 MK III came out a year later with greater tonal coherency and more resolution but the overall LS5 magic remained. If you really like the Ref 1, you should try to audition the LS5 in any version. I wanted so much to investigate the Ref2 II with Amperex, Telefunken, Mullard or Valvo tubes. But a short time with the BAT 31SE and then onto the Aesthetix Callisto Sig., there was no going back to 6H30 based line stages. And now the Aria WV, first with Amperex PQ 6922 and now with the RCA 12BH7, is so far ahead of the others I had, that I have no desire to bother with 6H30 tubes. |
Hello Jafox: Actually I owned LS5 mk2 for a while, but found Ref One to be superior. Less colouration, bigger soundstage and with higher resolution. In short most things seemed to have improved to my ears. I just noticed this LS5 mk3 rev. 2 schematic at Manfred's website. Didn't know there where severals revs of mk3. This schematic is very simliar to Ref One. Ref One have little more gain in each amplification stage but also have a overall higher gain. Both seems to have approx. 12dB feedback. (for dynamic reasons???) VT-100 mk2 also use a very similar circuitry so it seems like most amps was designed around the same principles at the time. Ref One have a different and later powersupply circuitry though. Like LS25 mk2. So it's very likely that Ref One simply is a more refined version of the last LS5 linestage. http://www.arcdb.ws/LS5/LS5.html |
Flex2: Yes, exactly. I understood that the LS5 III was an update due to things learned in the Ref1.....most notably the audio circuit....and a reduction of gain from 30db in the II to either 12 or 18 on the III based on a change to 8 resistors as I recall. I do not think much was changed to the LS5 PS. One flaw I felt about ARC products was their wimpy power supplies, especially the power transformer. It's incredible how much a preamp's power transformer can affect the performance. I learned this when I had the Counterpoint SA2 stock transformer changed to a Plitron. Swapping between the two external boxes was truly incredible. There was so much life to the music that was simply squelched by the older and pint-sized transformer. I have thought to do this with the ARC MCP-33 that I also own. I know that GNSC did this to a few select ARC updates. I can only imagine the incredible effect it would have on the ARC preamps and line stages of the 80s/90s. |
