The Reference MK II now have 280 hours on them, and I think they are burnt-in. They start opening up fully at about 200 hours. I'll put them back on the phono stage tomorrow and will follow up with my impressions. A reminder - whatever I hear, the last cable in the chain is Purist Colossus fluid, and it's an excellent one but not a reference level at all. I am sure that with my system I cannot hear everything that the Reference is capable of, or Purist Neptune, for that matter. I think, the Classic, as good as it is, was a small step below the level of my rig, and I am happy about it.
The Reference has exactly the same sound signature as the Classic but it takes the sound much further. The striking clarity, balance and low distortion continue to impress me. There is a precision of the presentation that is never exaggerated or 'analytic'. Notes are separated as they should yet the flow of the music is convincing. Silence is played as silence. Wide soundstage. As for the soundstage depth and layering, I have a tribal/ambient recording with so many different sounds and spaces, and it is played as if the depth had no boundaries. The cable strives to be as neutral as possible according to the designer's understanding of the neutrality. It will reveal the shortcomings of the recordings and all that digital BS, no illusions here, but it will not throw the negatives in your face so you wouldn't want to continue listening. You hear them but the focus on music is not interfered with much.
