I was able to sound test the ARC LS26/REF 110 combo. It was vey good. In the end, however, I thought the REF 3 with my solid state amp offered the most bag for the buck for the cost. The REF 3 is so good. It really makes a huge difference in a system more so than the amp in my opinion. Depth, soundstage, etc.. all those terms we know of. I have since upgrade my amp to the REF 110. I am very happy with it.
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).