McIntosh C1000 tube pre vs. ARC Ref 3?

Has anybody heard these against each other? Both are very well received by the audio press.

gpgr4blu01-06-2007 3:42am

metralla Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 945 posts 01-07-2007 at 01:46am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete The McIntosh is the clear winner here by a country mile Based on everything but a personal side-by-side audition, I know which one I would choose. It would only be as a result of an in-home comparison, with the McIntosh showing a clear advantage over the Audio Research, that would persuade me to not buy the ARC Ref 3 over the Mac. Regards,
hantrax Details Discussions Posts This discussion Message User 36 posts 01-07-2007 at 12:35am Copy Comment URL Report Comment Edit Delete I wouldn't say all that. The verdict on the ARC 3 is that it is "Audio Research's best preamplifier ever". The C1000 got Stereophile's Product of the Year. I wouldn't even mention the two pieces in the same breath. The McIntosh is the clear winner here by a country mile, even though I will admit I haven't heard the ARC. I heard an ARC Ref 2 for a while, and the C200 murdered it IMO. The 1000 is so far beyond the C200.