Anyone Compared ARC Ref 75SE and 75 With KT150

Veerapeneni ... as others have posted above, both amps must be fully broken in (600 hours) before doing serious critical listening.

Btw, did you ever speak with Kal. He is very familiar with ARC's products and can give a sense of what to expect.

Here's some Ref 150 SE comments. Last night I was listening to some old CDs of John Gardiner conducting the Orchestre Révolutionnaire (Canada) performances of Beethoven symphonies. IMO, the level of sound stage imaging, detail, tonality of sound was noticeably improved. Of course, my comparison is to my system pre SE upgrade/KT-150s and pre DEQX.

I attribute the improvements in large part to the KT-150/SE upgrade. That said, I can't ignore the possibility that my DEQX PreMATE also made a significant contribution as well.

BIF

Is that some sort of arousal stimulant you are on Bif ?

Regarding the break in time on the REF 75se ... I now have 530 hours on my amp. I haven't listened to CDs for the last half of this time. I've been enamored with the AT-ART9 and have been listening exclusively to analog. The other night I decided to go back to listening to CDs ... and I couldn't believe how much improved my digital (ARC CD-7se with the factory improved power supply) sounded. The first recording I threw on was a Harmonia Mundi sampler that I picked up at the CES in Las Vegas years ago. Its one of my reference CDs. To say that it sounded like a different CD is an understatement. They were in the room ... in the freakin' room!

This amp just continues to amaze.

When i am spending my money on new gear, the least i expect is that they perform better than my old ones from the get go. I am not saying GS150 is bad, they amazing but my 250s are driving my speakers better .

they might improve after breakin but i thought i needed more power for my speakers.

Veerapaneni ...

I've always considered that easy to drive speakers are the way to go. I'm presently using a pair of Legacy Signature III's ... 93db. The REF-75SE just coasts driving these speakers. In fact, the meters hardly move no matter what I'm playing. Also, I've found that many times, the lower powered amps in a product line can sound better than the higher powered spread. Not that I've always had easy to drive speakers. My old Accustat IV's come to mind. Great speaker, very musical ... but man 'O man what power hungry beasts they were.

I DO love the REF-250's, having heard them driving the Vandersteen 7's in the Optimal Enchantment room three years ago at the Newport show. All things considered, that was one of the very finest systems I've ever heard.

On expecting new gear to sound better than gear it replaces ... I remember when I first got my ARC REF-3. It replaced an ARC SP-14, a very nice preamp in its own right. I was a bit put off because while the REF-3 was better, it was just marginally better new out of the box. With the caps and tubes broken in ... the REF-3 just destroyed the SP-14. Same thing when going from my old, trusty, ARC-Classic 60 to the original REF-75. I love the Classic 60 ... now being used as a spare and soon to be sold ... but as the REF-75 began to break in, it was no contest. And then of course, the new SE versions are in another league all together.

Another benefit to the lower powered tube amps is the reduction in heat output. Southern California summers are HOT! Even today, this late in the year, our outside temps hit 100 degrees. The big amps would be out of the question in my room. I'm one who believes in turning off all electrical devises when listening to the system, and that includes the air conditioning.

Please don't take any of my comments as criticism in any way ... its just conversation between one ARC fan and another.

Take care ....