I have the Ref 250 (not se). I enjoy them a lot but the heat is too much in the summer. I tried many SS including Luxman, Pass, Ayre, MBL, Lamm. The Accuphase A70 is very similar to ARC in terms of tonal balance. Better bass extension but still not quite the same micro dynamics that tubes have (but close). |
I'm also thinking of getting an alternatives, the Reference 75 SE amplifier from AResearch.
Anyone familiar with how that amp sounds?
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I was told that watt for watt, the Ref 75 SE is the best sounding ARC amp in the line up. Obviously if you need more power, then you have no choice but to move up the line.
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I have a Ref 75 SE and it's the best amp I've never had in my system. It has beaten a Pass X250.5 and Classe stereo amp in direct shootout. It shoots way above its 75W. Initially I was not sure that would be enough but in my room (14X18X7) it can reach ear piercing levels and the needle barely moves.
Sweet highs, mids to die for and excellent bass for its size. Much better and deeper bass than many ss I've tried although to be fair, I know some mono-blocks would provide that little extra some people are looking for. I use a JL F113 sub to complement it and I'm not needing more bass. |
I vote for a cj-mf2500a or a coda
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Ref 75se makes a ton of sense here.
For SS, Dart and Ayre would work very well. Dart is out of budget unless you swap to the integrated. |
here’s abrief list
accuphase p-7300-this golden godzilla was birthed from a secret nuclear plant in yokohama, japan. it looks awesome on paper, and the meters will have you mesmerized, 3 times the price here in the us than in japan, ridiculous! but that’s another conversation for another time.
mcintosh mc452-i heard through the ol’ grapevine that mc is having some trouble on the business end of things. i hope they get that ironed out soon, because the mc452 is a killer amp and costs much less than the golden godzilla.
pass labs x350.8-killer amps from the house that nelson built absolutley transparent with a full-bodied midrange. but is a bit pricey, runs hot, and will spin the electric meters like a top.
bryston 14b3-this could be the sleeper of this bunch, or it could be crap. i don’t really care for the new consumer series faceplates, so you might wanna get the pro series which are the same or very similar faceplates as the old sst series. besides, you'll get a healthier discount from a pro audio dealer than a hi-fi one....if we’re going by the older sst2 series, and if this is the better amp overall, then you have a winner from the frozen tundra that is canada. love em or hate em, these canucks know how to build an amp. pricewise it sits in between the mcintosh and the pass labs..it’s more powerful than those 2, however. but as is par for the course with bryston, you either love ’em or hate ’em...
now, i advise you to go out and listen. i know i need to!
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I'm still up in the air. Lots of good comments here to consider. |
Shaq,
I agree with Johnny R from Audioconnection. I owned the Ref 150, dropped in KT-150s and noticed a big improvement and then had ARC do the SE upgrade and noticed another big jump in performance.
I know many members have made some fine recommendations, but IMO, you can squeeze a lot more performance out of your Ref 150 by doing the SE upgrade, which includes a complete retube.
BIF |
shaq, I can't comment on your ARC amp but will say I'm surprised no one suggested the Parasound JC-1s. Could that be because they have been around so long and thus not the "latest and greatest"? Well, there is a reason for that longevity.
Different speakers but I replace VTL monos with the JC-1s and liked them better overall.
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JC-1's are good, solid amps...i didn't mention them because the ones i listed are better. of course in the very high levels of high end amplifiers, we're talking about subtle differences. however, amps can make more than a subtle difference. case in point; when i had the levinson amp in my music room over at my parent's house, it sounded as if i needed some serious room treatment. i then switched to an fm acoustics 611, and voila, what i thought were room anomalies were at least 85-90 percent gone! its all bout that damping factor, driver conrol, and signal to noise ratio...
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@lak
I noticed that you have the Plinius SA-Refrence as well as a few others in the Plinius lineup. I too am a plinius guy and love what they do. I have owned the SA-250 MK lV i currently have a SB-301 MKll there latest A-150 current production 150 wpc class A switchable to A/B. I am looking at purchasing a SA-Refrence just to see how it lines up with the rest. Love to hear your thoughts if you still own yours.
Cheers |
A thought and I am sure no one has mentioned this...have you considered a Chord Ultima 6?
It delivers plenty of power for your needs. It will still get hot when driven hard but the switching power supply helps keep the temp below 120 degrees most of the time. There are other amps I have seen mentioned on this list that don't function well till they get to 130 degrees.
It is within your budget, fully balanced, etc... The Ultima 5 & 6 are very new but are really sweet. Chords sound tends to be very refined and a hair analytic. Perfect for pairing with a tube preamp. Paired with your other ARC Ref gear, I would think it would give you a really nice sound profile.
My hunch is the Ultima 6 is going to finally replace my Rogue Hydra after 6 year. PM if you want to learn more as I am a fully authorized Chord dealer. |
Folks suggesting Pass either haven’t owned one or are ignoring they run hot, really hot- all the time at every listening level due to their high bias and class A operation. I have a 250.8 and love it- it heats my 13 x 23 listening room up to 74 degrees in the dead of winter- and the room has no other heat source! It’ll go up to 76 in the summer. I recently bought a pair of Bel Canto REF 600 to run in the spring and summer months. Great amps, totally cool due to Class D, Great reviews in Stereophile. Sound pretty close to the 250.8 on a pair of Harbeth SHLS5 Super + |
Wow, this thread started almost 5 years ago. @shaq -- did you make an amp decision? |
Audio Research Ref 150 is in top line, I don't think you can find one to replace it at same performance.
Just change the Tube ,it is not so difficult. |
What ever came of this, OP?
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I also recommend Pass, I own a 250.8 and it's simply fantastic sounding.
I don't know how everyone gets off on the heat thing mine has been on playing for over 2 hrs and is barely warm to the touch . I have a 12 x 15 room and was kind of wishing it would heat it but no way.
See if you can do some listening to the suggested amp you might consider.
Good luck happy listening.
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i had my mccormack dna 500, 500w amp recently redone by conrad johnson up for sale if your interested. the guy i brought it from, run it with ar preamps....let me know....
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You people understand this original post was over 8 years old!
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The last time I heard AR and Parasound the two seemed very similar in sound quality. I think it was with Wilsons at the time.
I had Parasound, and ended up with Luxman for having a livelier midrange and glass smooth treble and extension. However, if you want to keep everything as-is, I would suggest Parasound would be a good brand to listen to.
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