I have had (and am currently using) a Ref 2, mk1 in my system for the last 4 years and absolutely love it. I have tried several other pre's including: Ref 2 mk2, LS25 mk2, LS26, and Pass Labs X1. While all of these units are very very good, none of them could knock out my Ref 2 mk1. The reason?? Bloom. All of the units were very crisp and clean sounding, none of them had the bloom the Ref 2, mk1 has. It is a wonderful combination with my Maggies.....
Now comes the Ref 3. This unit was truly amazing. It was extremely quiet, very accurate and did show some bloom. Had I had the cash, I would have traded my Ref 2 mk1 in on it. (Mind you, I heard this unit when it first came out and it was going for retail). Some day, I'll own one when the price drops. Until then, my Ref 2 mk1 does the job quite well.
Magnepanmike
Magnepan 1.6
ARC 100.2
ARC CD1
ARC DAC5
PS Audio Power Director
All sorts of other stuff!
Now comes the Ref 3. This unit was truly amazing. It was extremely quiet, very accurate and did show some bloom. Had I had the cash, I would have traded my Ref 2 mk1 in on it. (Mind you, I heard this unit when it first came out and it was going for retail). Some day, I'll own one when the price drops. Until then, my Ref 2 mk1 does the job quite well.
Magnepanmike
Magnepan 1.6
ARC 100.2
ARC CD1
ARC DAC5
PS Audio Power Director
All sorts of other stuff!