Any ARC GSPre owners here ?

Was surfing on the net while listening to a great Sain San (sp?) piano concerto on my rig. Came across this review that may be of interest to the OP and others:

http://www.chattelin.nl/fckfiles/files/Audio%20Research%20Review%20HiFI.pdf

Interestingly, the reviewer interviewed Warren Gehl, ARC's official listener, and Ward Fiebiger, ARC's chief engineer responsible for ARC’s technical designs. Warren Gehl was quoted as saying the following:

"For while the two amplifiers [GS 150 and Ref 150] share many common aspects, there have been numerous parts and layout changes which affect the sound. By contrast the GSPre is really more a hybrid of a variety of products. Performance-wise, it nears the sonic capabilities of the Reference 5SE preamplifier and the PH8 phono preamplifier."

Consistent with those comments, when I was deciding whether to upgrade my Ref 150, I asked Kalvin Dahl at ARC how the Ref 150 SE and GS 150 sonically compare to each other. Kal told me that the two amps are roughly equivalent. He added that while the GS 150 may enjoy some very subtle sonic refinements over the Ref 150 SE, the differences are really very, very minor.

As I posted before, I think the SE upgrade to my Ref 150 made a significant difference. Not sure exactly how much related to the KT-150 tubes or the circuit changes (maybe 50/50), but the SE is better for sure.

Oregonpapa is still in 7th heaven with his Ref 75 SE. Check his posts.

I agree with Lostbears comments. I surmise that the Ref 5 SE may morph into a Ref 6 that enjoys some of the trickle down refinements of the Ref 10. Same as with the Ref Phono 2 SE viz the Ref 10 Phono.

I had a chat with my ARC dealer this afternoon, He is also a friend that I trust. He knows of no plans to replace the Ref 5se. The LS27 is more likely to be the next preamp ARC will updated or replaced. It has been around the longest.

Thank you BIF, Lostbears and everyone else,

I am sure as the year wears on, my choice will be more clear. A friend had the Ref 5 SE and Ref 150 (non SE) and it sounded fantastic. Surely a combination I'd love to have someday. The newer SE amps seem like a no brainer.

Thank you for your experiences. I hope to hear the GSPre and Ref 5SE in my system. I'll let you guy know what I hear.

Joe .... if the review I clipped above is correct re the GSPre and GS150, I urge you to call Kal at ARC and ask him for his views.

The GSPre may look pretty, but it's expensive and may be a no-go showboat. IOW, not a cost effective way to spend your bucks.

In addition, if I correctly recalled what Kal told me about the Ref 150 SE, then the GS 150 is another pretty face that does not meaningfully outperform the Ref 150 SE. Yet, the cost delta is significantly more.

It's your money ... spend it as you will. Just trying to help a fellow A'gon pal make a cost effective and informed decision.

Regards,

BIF

BIF,

Yes, Great advice.

In my post above, I meant to mention the Ref 75 SE as an amp choice. I don't feel I need the power of the Ref 150 (SE) class amps and 75 wpc will be enough for me.

I am going for the preamp first because I just purchased a Lampizator Big 7 balanced and a pair of Lampizator fully balanced 211 amps. An amazing combination but want to try a preamp in the chain. I am going direct now and can not believe what I am hearing. I normally prefer a preamp in my system but my current CJ GAT is not balanced.
I think an ARC preamp will, in this case, be a great choice. The only major difference I can see is the GSPre's out impedance is 500 ohms vs 600 for the Ref 5SE. Not sure if that means a whole lot, but I usually prefer the lower output impedance pre in my system.