Any ARC GSPre owners here ?

I have auditioned both at my dealer when I was in search of a new preamp. I thought the Ref 5se was slightly better as did a few of my friends who frequent the shop. In the end I bought a Ref 5se.

Yes, I agree the Ref 5se has been around awhile. But the Ref 5se is still selling well. It is hard to say just what ARC will do. They could eventually just discontinue the Ref SE and not replace it right away. There would still be the Ref 10 and Ref 10 phono in the Reference line. Right now the interest is in the G series with the new integrated.

I for one love the G retro styling.

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.