It beats my SP-9mkII in almost every respect and not by a small margin either. It blows it into the weeds. My only reservation is tonal neutrality. The ARC is more neutral through the frequency range. The 834's upper treble and lower bass could be ever so slightly emphasized by comparison to the SP-9. But this is nothing to be phased about. The most important areas are spot on as can be I.e. upper bass/lower mids. Lots of energy here without overhang or excessive bloom. Just spot on. Rest is very transparent with pin sharp image focus and stability. This is modern day tube sound at it's best. Not for the old school tube lovers of the romantic sounds of yore.
