I am not an ARC guru, but this is what I understand about the hierachy of recent ARC Pres. I am sure others will pile in and disagree. My understanding is the LS26 has a relatively poor response. The LS 27 however seems rated slightly above the Ref 3, as a newer model. The Ref 5 of course is top dog. I have heard the 27, 3 and 5, but not at the same time, so could'nt comment on sound differences
