You may also consider the LS26 Ref 110 combo.The 26 is really close in performance to the Ref 3 and the 110 is much better than VT100mkIII.That's my opinion anyway.
what ARC combo- Ref 1/Ref 110 or Ref 3/VT 100 MK3?
assuming similar price points on used market- i.e. Ref 1 preamp and VT 100 MKIII amp are similar in cost, as are used Ref 110 amp and Ref 3 preamp. In your opinion, which of the above pairings would yield better performance and which would you choose? (as the prices of each combo are similar).