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is upgrade to REF110 worth it from vt100mkIII?

Now that ARC REF110 is discontinued, I am on the look out for some unit, although still expensive in EU at more than 7500 euros. I have read rave reviews about REF110 and have no doubt that it is superior to my audio Research vt100 mkIII power amp, which I have along an ARC REF3 pre, ARC DAC8 and B&W803D. I just wonder if my current B&W speakers are now the bottleneck in the system, and I might not notice the so much promised improvement with a better amp such as Ref110 or other? anyone has some experience to help me on this one? Unfortunately, i will have a tough time to try a Ref110 in my system to help me decide. Thanks.
uncle_dito
lloydelee21
1,202 posts
 
Uncle dito,

its all a personal opinion...if u are happy, that is the most important thing. i have found the bigger the b&w, the more damping control it tends to like...and they respond well to it. Worth a listen if you can. if not, ARC is great stuff...enjoy!
uncle_dito OP
6 posts
 
Thanks Bifwynne, in EU second hand vt100 mkiii sell for 2.5k€ in rare ocasions they show...and Ref110 still high at approx 7,5k€.
The more i read about 803Ds, the consensus grows that they need generous power supply as BW are current hungry.
I would really like to do A/B with Ref110 and also SS 300+ watts/channel, as I suspect as you do that I may not get much added bang for the cash, from the fair starting point I have now.
uncle_dito OP
6 posts
 
Lloydelee21, as mentioned in the earlier post, i need to get A/B to conclude if there is good return on further power amp investment. After the summer I will try to convince my brother to lend me his MA-9S1 300W marantz monoblocks and try them in my system, and do the tube/SS shoot out. I have heard them in his house, with the newer 803d and also with my Ref3, sound is awesome, but difficult to assess if and how much better.
lloydelee21
1,202 posts
 
Good luck!
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