I have not heard an ARC Ref 6. I am sure that it sounds great. But...way out of my price league. I do know for sure though...that at five times the cost of the PL...I would bet dollars to donuts it certainly does not sound "five times better" than the PL.
You sound like a good guy aolmrd1241. Like that silly commercial on TV where the lady is talking to her clone on the phone, "I like you". Without a doubt there is not a 5x difference in SQ. You know that on multiple levels. I was strongly considering the PL Dialogue Premium with a pair of the Dialogue Premiums set up as monoblocks. I even talked to Kevin Deal about them-naturally he did all the talking :-) (funny if you know KD). I would love to have auditioned them in my room. I was impressed when JA was reviewing a set of high end speakers (the new lower priced Magico?) and couldn't get the bass to sound right til he tried swapping the $3400 PL integrated into the system in place of far more expensive gear. The one remaining brick and mortar shop in my area is both an AR and PL dealer and the main guy at that shop owns AR gear (and happens to be an expert on VPI too). They stock neither as it seems home theater gear keeps the lights on. Even he has not heard the amps but has sold and listened to the pre. I will stop there. I fully understand those who question the prices of AR gear-I harbor a little of that thought too. They even do their very best to prevent any AD from offering any discount! And on top of all that, I think most would agree that they have released a flop or three in their 47 year history. Read Charles Hansen's comments about his latest amplification-he admits that until recently he failed to understand just why great tubed gear is magical and failed to prioritize that sound in his solid state gear. The magic of AR's top gear is that it has that magic without going overboard. That quality is very rare.
You sound like a good guy aolmrd1241. Like that silly commercial on TV where the lady is talking to her clone on the phone, "I like you". Without a doubt there is not a 5x difference in SQ. You know that on multiple levels. I was strongly considering the PL Dialogue Premium with a pair of the Dialogue Premiums set up as monoblocks. I even talked to Kevin Deal about them-naturally he did all the talking :-) (funny if you know KD). I would love to have auditioned them in my room. I was impressed when JA was reviewing a set of high end speakers (the new lower priced Magico?) and couldn't get the bass to sound right til he tried swapping the $3400 PL integrated into the system in place of far more expensive gear. The one remaining brick and mortar shop in my area is both an AR and PL dealer and the main guy at that shop owns AR gear (and happens to be an expert on VPI too). They stock neither as it seems home theater gear keeps the lights on. Even he has not heard the amps but has sold and listened to the pre. I will stop there. I fully understand those who question the prices of AR gear-I harbor a little of that thought too. They even do their very best to prevent any AD from offering any discount! And on top of all that, I think most would agree that they have released a flop or three in their 47 year history. Read Charles Hansen's comments about his latest amplification-he admits that until recently he failed to understand just why great tubed gear is magical and failed to prioritize that sound in his solid state gear. The magic of AR's top gear is that it has that magic without going overboard. That quality is very rare.
