McIntosh - is it that great?

The Ref 3 mates with any amp well. It has a very low output impedance. I cannot speak more highly of the Ref3. Supremely versatile and great sound. Sounds great balanced or single-ended. I have no desire to audition any more preamps or power amps. It is a nice feeling!

When I owned my VT100 mk3, which replaced a much loved 4 year affair with a Mk2, I brought home an MC275 for a couple of nights, and did not feel it was better than the ARC. When I brought home the MC402, I could not sell both my VT100 mk3 and my VT200 fast enough. I thought tubes were the closest path to reality, but the 402 changed that big time. My advice, try one before you buy the 275.

RWD, I like the 402 because it just does not sound like either a SS amp or a tube amp. I liked tube amps because they sounded the most like what I heard in real life, but the 402 is even better in that regard, plus it is more detailed and supremely musical. Images just seem to have less cardboard cutout and more body. Previously all the SS amps I have tried, which include some very notable ones, have all clearly sounded like solid state, with an electronic signature. The 402 does not have this signature. It also shows that what I previously thought was sibilance inherent in some recordings was an artifact of my system. I have always had a pretty clean system, but now with my Ref3, MC402, and Quads it is like a microscope on the recording. Many old favorites have new details exposed that are frankly a little disconcerting.