is upgrade to REF110 worth it from vt100mkIII?

Good luck!

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.

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,

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, I'm an ARC fan as you can see from my System description. This is just hearsay, but I recall reading somewhere that the VS-115 (my amp) is better than the VT100 MkIII, but not by a heck of a lot. At the same time, I definitely recall reading that the Ref 110 is better than the VS-115, but again, not by a heck of a lot. So therefore, I question out loud how mcuh bang for the buck you would get from the jump.

OTOH, Ref 110s are starting to hit the listings in the $5K range. I don't recall what the VT100 MkIIIs go for. But I understand that the MkIII version was a major improvement. If it only costs a grand or so to move up, it might be worth it.

OTOH, OTOH, I think the most important Q is whether there is anything peculiar about the Ref 110 that would raise compatibility concerns with the 803s. That's probably a Q for Cal at ARC.

many thanks for the insight Lloydelee21. I don´t have much chances to hear music very loud, so I put more weight on musicality and timbre. With the current setup, I have found the bass quite nice, but maybe is because I have not heard 803D thru 300W+ SS amplification as you suggest.

Hi Uncle dito, the 803s are excellent speakers and i think will continue to reveal the improvements in your amplification. The question is whether the 110s will have enough juice to satisfy the 803s. I have heard the 210s and remember the dealer making 2 comments: 1) not the last word in all-out power which should be considered when partnering with tougher loads that require good damping (i think your 803s might be in a category where they respond well to gripping power; 2) the 110s/210s are not the last word in bass damping where the 803s also respond well in particular.

If you are comfortable with these 2 elements being more familiar as an owner than i (who have only auditioned not owned)...i did find the 803s responded well to upstream changes such as the ones you suggest.

everyone will have their 2 cents...i would love to hear what you think of using a Pass amp with those speakers given the rest of your system...for 7500 euros, you could buy quite a lot of Class A SS power which will be smooth, powerful, controlled but sweet. and with your existing tubes, possibly a beautiful combination (to my ears, not necessarily to yours). two cents. good luck!