Audio research Ref.3 vs Primaluna Dialogue premium preamp

I had a  PL Dialogue Premium , honestly, yes to be fair,, I really did not give it enough time to review,, all I know is that I prefered my Chinese Jadis Clone LS9 with 3 12AT7 stages of amplification, and with Mundorf EVO OIl Silver caps,, 
The PL Dialogue seemed to *twist* the musical image into shapes i did not like. 
 Better word is *controted*,, = spasmatic,, Again, thats not being fair, becaaue only after 1 or 2 test songs,, that was quite enough,, I returned it to seller with a  gratuitous $200 restock/hassle fee, and I paid shipping both ways.
Gotta be fair in this business.
I just posted my opinions ona  Linestage shootout, Neither of which i actually heard in my life. 
There i give my  choice as to best Line stage on the market,,outshotting any LS under say,,,$15K
I might get one, only to prove my opinion,, as i am quite happy with my Jadis DPL modded by Richard Gray, (which i've yet to hear his mods, as my sperakers are being modded next 2 weeks). 
I'm sure Richard corrected Jadis' 20 yr old design. By eliminaing the big loud mouth 12AX7 and installling the glorious delicate  12AU7, which i call ~The Emblisher tube~ vs the 12AX7 which I tag as ~~The Screamer tube~~. 
The key to any superior design ina LS is the db level.
Cayin SC6 comes it at 15db.. I am sure both your choices above is near double that. 
Unless you happen to like massive db levels,, then yeah skip the Cayin.
IMHO a  LS should be passive as possible 15db is the mark,, over that you ~~might~~ have excessive gain issues,, Which is what Richard Gray hopefully corrected in his mods of the Jadis DPL,,I'm guess, will make a  YT vid once speakers get new high tech xovers
 issues.

Just looked over some specs of the AR3, db gain 11, thats much lower than Cayin's 15, = huge points there. and I love the variety of tubes in the AR..
If you get the AR3, ship it to Richard Gray and have him upgrade with my Mundorf Silvergold EVO Oil caps, 
Huge gains there, = far superior to stock AR3. 
My choice is AR3, super tube circuitry. 
But ona  budget,,I'd go cayin SC6 Mark2, and ship to Richard have him swap caps out for M EVO Silver Oil.
New high quality caps is a real ~~game changer~~

The principal reason I'd probably select a Primaluna over the ARC is that with the ARC is what you hear is what you get. You really can't change the tone by rolling tubes. With the Primaluna you can change the tone quite effectively by simply changing tubes. The ARC output impedance will be an easier load for many amps. This might be a problem for some Primaluna users. It was so for me on an earlier Primaluna pre. 

There are other issues which would probably push me toward the Prologue as well but for me those are the relevant ones, and frankly if I were to buy one now I would probably not buy either. 

The principal reason I'd probably select a Primaluna over the ARC is that with the ARC is what you hear is what you get.

That is exactly why I'd choose the Ref 3.  

I owned the Ref 3 for a half dozen years and found it to be extended, fairly detailed and accurate.  Overall sound was a lot like solid state.  I wanted it to sound special but couldn’t quite pull it off.

REF 3 definitely

If you can do a side by side A/B comparison in your home system, you will see/hear that there really isn't a comparison.

Don't get me wrong.  The Primaluna unit is very nice.  But, it isn't on the same level with the REF 3.

enjoy

I just entered and know very little about this hobby/obsession but in my quest for understanding, I took the tour of AR on two youtube shows. I was struck by their attention to detail, commitment to quality(Woo), voicing their product AND their ability to service any of their machines since before AR was AR. I now aspire to own their product provided I like what I hear and someday the funds to afford them.
I might add the Nelson Pass interviews on yourtube were also very interesting and educational but in a different psychoacoustic and marketing way.

" Don't get me wrong. The Primaluna unit is very nice. But, it isn't on the same level with the REF 3.".

 I agree completely with the statement above.
I "could", make quite a long list as to the, "why's" of my thoughts.
 But after reading the above?
"I feel that it should quite suffice".
 Unless...Someone really wants a read where I merrily follow that "Rabbit Hole", down into a minutiae rich oblivion....

I will say that the "Prima Luna" products I have physically seen recently?
 They looked to be of a much lower build and material quality than I had remembered. 
 Did something change?

Ok, After fighting with myself for five minutes over whether or not I should say this....;
  The last units which I saw. "Just after unboxing". They all had a (definite), "Toys-R-Us" quality to them.  
"Clones", mayhap? But even then, they should have looked....much, much different to my eye's.

Don't get me wrong. The Primaluna unit is very nice. But, it isn't on the same level with the REF 3.

A  used PL newer model's for $2200
 vs  used AR Ref3, about $3500.
Something to consider.

Ok, After fighting with myself for five minutes over whether or not I should say this....;
  The last units which I saw. "Just after unboxing". They all had a (definite), "Toys-R-Us" quality to them.

No, PL is made at the Spark labs,, which makes cayin, Both models are made like tanks, yet with supreme craftmanship. These units have impecable operating designs, flawlessly for years, with zero issues.
Beautifully designed EVO 200


https://www.google.com/search?q=prima+luna+evo+200+preamplifier+images&sxsrf=ALeKk02OqTCpL9OqdYP1E0Yt84FRx7YWzQ:1597951656570&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=xR7VkkdemCDO8M%252CYwPynsnJUBoJTM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kTDXwxky8MIFY97D5zfFI3aKRbRYA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj2qO7mwarrAhUQZKwKHYMBA0AQ9QEwA3oECAoQFA&biw=1280&bih=625#imgrc=xR7VkkdemCDO8M

Yah, It was so just, "Out of place" I thought. 
Clones then........  The B&M 800 clones I saw were immaculate....
 China as a whole needs a well thought-out "Attitude Adjustment".
 AND, I am very glad to hear that PL did not lower their bar!

I ended up with the "Manley Labs", Neo Classic, 300B Preamp- "For now" As the main object of my attention pre-wise. But you know how that goes... My other wall of pre's gets little use except for the ARC pieces.

Maybe I'll try PL after all!

i have both, both very good

arc ref 3 slightly more transparent a bit quieter - but yes, you can tube roll primaluna if you are into that kinda thing