Should I Sell My ARC REF 6 and Get A Pass Labs XP-32


So here's the question.  I love my ARC REF 6.  It's a great piece of equipment.  But  lately, I have been thinking that maybe I should switch from tubes to a Pass Labs XP-32, as I don't want to worry about replacing tubes in the future (like 5-10 years from now -- I know that there is plenty of stock now and I have a spare set anyway) as I approach retirement age.  Of course, other than buying a Pass Labs XP-32 and putting it into my system to see how it sounds, I am at the mercy of professional reviewers. The rest of my system: I have a Pass Labs 250.8 (so I think that there would be great synergy with the XP-32), MSB Discrete DAC with Premier Power Base and Wilson Sabrina X speakers, and a full loom of Shunyata cables.  Will the XP-32 be an improvement over the REF 6 for my system?  Should I sell the REF 6 and get an XP-32?

moto_man

Showing 4 responses by lalitk

@moto_man 

I switched to Accuphase E-650. Like you I made my progression from LS28SE to Ref 6 as well but It wasn’t a giant leap from LS28SE as I was expecting. That’s when I start exploring other options and went through few auditions that included Luxman, DartZeel, T+A, Esoteric before choosing Accuphase. Having owned Leben and Shindo components in the past, Accuphase turned out to be the next best thing with Class A watts purity and warmth of tubes.

Can you buy XP-32 before selling Ref 6? If one thing given in this scenario is impeccable synergy between Pass Labs components. If your goal is to not deal with tubes, you’re on a right path by pursuing XP-32. I have owned several ARC components in the past including Ref 6 and I don’t miss them at all. 4 plus years of SS electronics, so glad I made move from ARC. 

@moto_man 

There is no substitute for trying a component in your system. I just glanced at used market…there appears to be couple of listings under 12K here at Audiogon. Go for it! 

As a buyer, I would be skeptical too given recent re-structuring. Next few months would be interesting at ARC, we will get to see how they respond to back log of repairs and instill confidence among potential buyers by resuming production and hopefully introduce new models.