@ghdprentice I understand what you are trying to say. But I am in the camp that believes that a component can be analytical and be incredibly musical and enjoyable. Advanced technology can now afford this to us, where resolution so clear and dissectable can be delivered to us in the most effortless and pleasing ways. The Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC is a great example of this. It is probably one of the most musical and analytical components combined. I’ve also owned the Ref 6 and Ref 150 SE, which are fairly recent ARC reference pieces. They were both musical, but largely more analytical, especially for tube. You’re right that the divide is narrowing, but many will still agree that the latest ARC is analytical.
It’s funny how a word’s definition and connotation may change over a generation. People used to generally associate analytical with bone dry, providing clarity into the music at the expense of delivering emotion and understanding soul. Today, data is the silent language of people, and artificial intelligence mines it to make technology be more human. Hence, analytics is starting to understand and mimic soul. The same is happening for audio. This is precisely why I fell in love with T+A. Their Hv line has the soul that is typically associated with the very best tube gear, but the “blackness” from its incredible resolution and high SNR allow listeners to truly both analyze and feel the music in parallel.
With this in mind, I’d say I’d like to remain curious about the Ref 3 Phono. :) I doubt I will ever buy it, but I would never say no to an opportunity to listen to it, especially in my own system.
@lewm I initially posted this before reading your most recent post, but now that I did, I think you and I are on the same page, so this applies to you as well.