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Ref-75-SE delivered ...

It arrived late yesterday via UPS. I had company over last night so I didn't hook it up 'till this morning. I had it playing by 7:30.

I sold the REF-75 early last month and was using my spare, which is a great sounding ARC- Classic 60. Man, if someone is looking for a musical amp at a reasonable price, the CL-60 would be a good way to go. It kind of has that vintage tube sound. Listening to music through it, is kind of like watching a good Technicolor movie. Hey, who doesn't like watching the original version of The Wizard of Oz? Its not right, but its beautiful. I mean, when you walk outside, Technicolor doesn't hit you in the face ... reality does.

Which brings me to the REF-75 and the REF-75 SE.

I bought my original REF-75 over two years ago, brand new, with KT120 tubes. What struck me about that amp was the lack of grain, the soundstage and the tonality. It played big and it played beautifully. That's what I thought until I swapped out the KT120's for a new quad of KT150's. Now that brought the amp up to a new level. Audio nirvana, I thought. Hummph, silly me.

Enter the REF-75 SE.

Fist thing, I let it cook for about a half hour in order to get the amp to stablize so I could check the bias. Good thing too because both sides needed biasing. The right channel was all way over to the "Caution" level.

Upon initial listening, I was really taken by how quiet this amp is ... I mean QUIET!! Not digital quiet, that kind of quiet just sounds totally artificial to me. What I mean is ... its a natural quietness unlike any tube amp I've ever heard.

For the first two hours, it was better than the REF-75 it replaced by maybe 20% or so. At the two hour mark, things really started to open up. Here's what my notes say:

Quiet!
Articulate.
Dynamic.
Decay of notes.
Presense.
Fast.
Leading edge of notes.
Weight in the lower registers of the piano.
Sustained notes - has me hanging on a thread.

So how does this play out when listening to music?

Like most of us, I have a little section of records (among thousands) that I use for reference purposes. They are the ones I listen to first when evaluating new equipment. I know every nuance of these records. Listened to them hundreds of time.

First up - Sue Raney on the Discovery label. The SE allowed me to hear the volume of air, and the force and reduction of force that was coming out of Sue Reney's chest and up through her throat. On the third cut, there is a triangle that the percussionist delicately hits. With all previous amps, I thought there was just one triangle. Turns out, there are three. For the first time, I could hear the slight difference in the notes. That was hidden before.

Second up- Sammy Davis Jr. Sings. Laurindo Almedia Plays. Reprise RS-6236.
Again, like the Sue Raney album, the air coming out of Sammy's chest and across his vocal chords and all of the subtlety of that was in his total control. Then, I realized that all of the really great singers do this and that's why they have the great instruments they do.
The guitar work being done here by Almedia is superb. Not my favorite guitarist, but on this album his playing grabs you by the emotions. BUT, through this amp ... a different world. The leading edge of the notes and the subtle decay of those notes make this album extra special now.

Keep in mind that we are only two hours in on this new amp at this point. The sound stage is still constricted and the 3-D imaging is on a par with the Classic 60, and not as good as the old REF-3.

Over the course of the day, I continued listening for a couple of hours each time. The more time that passed, the better the amp got.

Next Album .. about 4 hours in: The Norman Luboff Choir .. "But Beautiful" Columbia CS-8114. This is a demo quality record that has a tremendously wide sound stage. Its fun. The chorus is spread behind the speakers and goes from wall to wall. And now, I'm getting a 3-D image like never before. The articulation in each chorus member's voice has never sounded better ... not even close. There is a female soloist named Betty Mulliner who has her place behind and just to the left of the right speaker. With all other amps I've had, she has sounded diffused. The original REF-75 brought her out of the mist ... but not like the new SE. Now, she is in total focus and its like I can see her head move and hear her lips smack. I can get a true sense of her personality. Same thing on every vocal record I played today. Get this album if you like beautiful classic pop music from the 40's and 50's

Next: John Williams Paganni:Guitar trio - Hayden: Guitar Quartet. Columbia MS 7163. Again, this is a sound stage spectacular. I love this album, not just because I'm a classical guitar freak, but because its a great test of equipment when looking for correct tonality. Like the once vague female soloist in the last album, there is a cello in the right rear of the sound stage that keeps getting more refined as my system improves. With the REF-75SE .. gone is the vagueness. All of it. That cello is now in the room, tonally correct, and very moving. And John Williams? For the first time, I heard the strings of his guitar vibrate. The decay of the notes seemed to last forever. How may accolades can I pile onto Mr. Perfection on the classical guitar? Buy this album, you won't regret it.

Finally a mono record to die for: Dave Brubeck's Jazz Impressions of The USA." This record never came out in stereo. Near as I can tell reading the liner notes, it was recorded sometime in '55 or early '56. This is Paul Desmond at his very best. Not as hard boppin' as the Oberlan College album ... but man 'O man ... the second cut "Summer Song" has Paul Desmond right there in the room. Its never sounded better than today.

So, that kind of gives you guys a hint of what was going on at my place today. The amp burned in for 12 hours, and toward the end the sound stage has filled out nicely, dynamics are startling, musicians were in 3-D relief, and most importantly to me, the instruments all sounded tonally correct.

My source tells me that at this point, the amp is only scratching the surface. He says ... wait until 200 hours has gone by before seriously writing any review of the new amp. I couldn't wait ... its that good. Bottom line for all ARC REF amp owners ... even at this early stage, I can honestly say... the SE kills the old amp. Go for the upgrade.
128x128oregonpapa
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
Jamnesta ...

As a semi-retired person myself, I couldn't agree with you more. Its important to make the purchases wisely. Buying quality gear is part of making purchases wisely. There's less depreciation and there is always the manufacturer to back you up in case something goes wrong. I'll bet if I offered a pair of Marantz Model Nines for the original price here on Audiogon, they'd be snapped up in a nano second and the buyer would be telling the world about what a steal he/she had gotten.
tsushima1
1,165 posts
 
Oregonpapa...

My congratulations on your appointment as Obfiscation Central's new 'Point Man' I trust that you will endevour to handle product information and customer services with a little more transparency than we have been used to of late!

Perhaps you might make a start with the points raised in my previous post With respect to ARC's Global pricing of the SE upgrade package together with a little clearer detail as to the associated Warranty? As I feel certain that your clarification would prove of great interest to many 'loyal' ARC customers elsewhere.
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
Tsushimal ...

Sorry man, but you left me pondering the unexplored depths being probed by your wife's gynecologist.

I suggest that instead of trolling these boards in an attempt to find a whipping boy to assuage your infantile ego, that you go elsewhere. Start your own thread of insults and see who wants to play with you.

In the last post I made referencing you, I said the following:

"My point is ... you seem to have a particular negative bias toward ARC. Is it that you don't like the sound of ARC gear, or is it just something you have against the company in general? Lay out your case once and for all, then be done with it."

But of course, instead of standing up like a man and answering the simple questions, you just HAD to continue being an ass.

Now then ... be gone with you, You're not worth my time.
oregonpapa's avatar
oregonpapa OP
4,867 posts
 
Salectric ...

That Paul Desmond is one fantastic sounding record. Desmond at his finest. And wait 'till you hear the presence of the guitar on this record. Demo quality all the way. Good choice. Man, I love turning folks on to good records and music.

Take care ...
tsushima1
1,165 posts
 
My my Oregonpapa, all So predictable I am sorry to say, I rather think that the only one responding with an Infantile Strop Is yourself!

I have no intention in the slightest in pandering either to your pretentious and touchy ego or your 'demands' for any disclosure of a any malicious intent imagined or otherwise, however, please feel free to stamp your little hooves on the bridge for all you are worth.

Thus far, any points that I have raised in respect to the component changes and their respective costings are born out of practical expearience in this field, in considering the 'non official' disclosure that the bias operating point of the Kt150 remains unaltered within the models involved, then any associated and required component changes to the bias circuit would be minimal in practical terms, and in cost to the manufacturer.

We are led to believe some arbitrary percentage in terms of the efficacy of these enhancements over a non SE model, merely sporting a change to the KT150, of which, and for my part, having tweaked the performance of an number of disparate amplifier via the judicious use of upgraded passive components viz; Teflon capacitors ,Thick film resistors etc, etc, I remain sceptical of, in that without any 'significant' alteration to the performance curve, envelope, characteristics of the main output tube, or any 'significant' upgrade to either the Power Supply , Output transformers or coupling capacitors, that an improvment of "50%" is not entirely credible!

For any such seismic improvements I would be look for the next generation models, designed specifically around the Kt150, on which I am sure that work is well under way.

With all that said, I would hope for 'some' measure of improvements with an new build or newly serviced SE amplifier, freshly set up by an ARC technician, and that the worth of any such improvment is entirely of ones own personal consideration, with or without the exchange rate applied!

There remains only my one point of inquiry, in which the subjective does not apply, and one which I would expect members who have actually purchased or have ordered the SE upgrade, to be in a position to assist the rest of us, in respect of the 'small print' conditions that apply to the ARC 1 year warranty as advertised with this product upgrade?
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