Mark Levinson 32 or Audio Research Reference 3


My next upgrade will be a preamp and I want a Reference. After doing some research I have narrowed it down to these two. Can somebody who had both shed some light in how they compare in sound? I have Levinson gear at home so I am excited about the 32 however I can't ignore the possibility that I might be losing out if I don't go with the Audio Research Ref 3. Need help, Thanks

My System:
Mark Levinson 23.5
Mark Levinson 27.5
Proceed AVP2
Dynaudio Confidence 5
Dynaudio 1.3SE
Meridian 508.24
DH Lab Air Matrix Cable
Monster M1 Cable
trance

Showing 1 response by aldog

As an alternative to the 32 (which I've heard), I would suggest the 326s. The 326s shares the same build quality and overall transparency of the 32, but to my ear is more neutral top to bottom.

As always, it comes down to system matching as I've had the Ref5 in my system and much preferred what I heard coming from the 326s. The Ref5 sounded a tad warm and lacked the overall ease and bass control of the 326 when feeding my MC501's. And although the Ref5 did have a bit more presence through the mids, the 326s gives up nothing in terms of detail, dimensionality and overall coherence.

Regardless, the Ref5 is a worthy audition and without a doubt will be a better match on some systems. It all comes down to personal taste.

Happy Listening.