I’d give a call to Randy at Optimal Enchantment in Santa Monica and ask him. He sold me my Ref 40 and now sells lots of Ref 10s. I suspect the answer is that they sound similar but that the Ref 10 delivers more of the same ... now I suspect we’re waiting for the Ref 50 in a year or two 😉
Audio Research Ref 10 vs 40th Anniversary preamp
I was wondering what the difference in the sound between the Ref 10 and the 40th ? Not much wrote about that. I btw have the Ref 6 but never heard the 10 or the 40th.
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syntax"There was always a night and day differ between their endless Reference etc. Products...Probably it is time to think about a Manufacturer who can do something right the first time." This is obviously not the way it works or otherwise you would still be driving Ford Model T’s and the electric starter and air conditioning would never have been invented and you would be expressing you ill-informed "opinion" with a quill pen on parchment and posting it to "Pony Express"! |
While I have considered moving to the Ref 10 (and the Ref 10 phono) what puts me off is the complexity that's been added in both of these components relative to the Ref 40 -- complexity that to me brings no value. What I'm talking about is all of the microprocessor controlled touch screen -- for me this and all the functionality it brings are of absolutely no value and not something I'd want to pay for. I'd much rather invest in the core amplification circuitry and if I was in the market for an upgrade would lean more towards the top of the line VAC for example Anyway for the time being the Ref 40 is still working well for me -- just swapped out all the tubes, not because they had failed but just a sense that at 2000 hours+ they were getting tired -- which they were, surprising how this gradual insidious diminution of performance builds up, a strict program of preventative tube exchange is a must |
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