Fo Audio Research Ref 10 owners, Best Amp?


What amp did you find worked best with this pre amp?

Did it depend on wattage? I am currently using 250 per channel.

Do I need more?

Or is it the synergy with a certain amp?

I know I am not getting all the potential of this pre. Something is holding it back.

And I know my system is capable of so much more. The problem is I had auditioned somebody's ref 10 and it sounded miraculous. The walls of my apartment disappeared and I wanted to listen to all of my many many cds again. It got difficult just leaving to do the things I needed to do. Ever feel that way with your system?

The kicker is I don't remember which amp I was using! I was trying out many amps and not keeping notes. It was a long time ago. Everything else is exactly the same-transprt, Dac, Speakers. 

If any of you are so inclined let me know what amp you found goes best with your ref 10 and let me know if you've found that nirvana I ever so briefly enjoyed.

Thank you for your time.

roxy1927

Showing 4 responses by roxy1927

250.8 has nice but not great depth and little width and sparkle.

I had the 350.8 which I liked a lot(maybe it was this one because of the extra wattage.) But it was a heavy beast to have in an apartment though now I wish I had figured out a way to keep it.

30.8

Hegel 300 and a couple of others I can’t recall.

The AGD Duets and Audion are getting great reviews and in terms of weight look ideal. But would they do justice to a Ref 10 due to their size?

 

 

I've thought about it but I often read that they get so hot they need a fan behind them or they have a fan built in and when the music goes silent you can hear the fan! I am so sensitive to that kind of sound no matter how low. When there is no sound I want there to be no sound.

I’ve tried also the Pass xa 25 and the VTL S200.

Now the VTL was fantastic it was a keeper however I bought it as a demo and when I called them with a question the first thing I was asked very sharply was where I bought it from. I have never dealt with such an unpleasant person in all my years in buying audio equipment. I dealt with her once more and then I knew if I ever needed a repair she was going to do everything in her power to make it as unpleasant an experience as possible so I sold it. When you deal with Pass or Audio Research it is always a pleasure. And they don’t care where you bought it from. They don’t treat you like a criminal.