I upgraded from the Ref 5SE to Ref 6SE… so I cannot address directly. But no drop in midrange bloom or additional “solid state” like sound. The 6SE is an outstanding preamp. Reviews of direct comparison are all very positive. Check out the audio aficionado forum. This level of components is average there. There are some discussion on this upgrade by folks very familiar with this level of performance.
Comparison of ARC Ref 6 to Ref 6SE
Has anyone compared the ARC Ref 6 to the Ref 6SE? I have seen some of the reviews that praised the added detail in the Ref 6SE but reading between the lines in these reviews, I noted that there appears to be a trade off in musicality (a more typical tube sound) for this detail (closer to the qualities of solid state). That would come down to an issue of those who prefer tubes to solid state. How much of the tube sound is sacrificed to achieve the greater detail in the ARC Ref 6SE? I would be interested in the opinions of someone who has done a good A/B comparison, rather than relying on reviews with veiled references to any disadvantages in this newer model. I recall that many people actually preferred the ARC SP-10 to the newer SP-11 that had more detail. I never assume that newer and more expensive means something is always better.
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