Should I Sell My ARC REF 6 and Get A Pass Labs XP-32
So here's the question. I love my ARC REF 6. It's a great piece of equipment. But lately, I have been thinking that maybe I should switch from tubes to a Pass Labs XP-32, as I don't want to worry about replacing tubes in the future (like 5-10 years from now -- I know that there is plenty of stock now and I have a spare set anyway) as I approach retirement age. Of course, other than buying a Pass Labs XP-32 and putting it into my system to see how it sounds, I am at the mercy of professional reviewers. The rest of my system: I have a Pass Labs 250.8 (so I think that there would be great synergy with the XP-32), MSB Discrete DAC with Premier Power Base and Wilson Sabrina X speakers, and a full loom of Shunyata cables. Will the XP-32 be an improvement over the REF 6 for my system? Should I sell the REF 6 and get an XP-32?
Personally, I would not.
I have been a Pass fan for frothy years. First moving from Pass preamps, which have never been nearly as good as their amps, to Audio Research. Then moving to Audio Research.
Pass makes great equipment. But most folks move towards more natural and musical gear over time. So, away from solid state and towards tubed gear… so, towards Audio Research, Conrad Johnson… etc.
But, it is completely a matter of taste. I would audition first. The Ref 6 is a world class preamp. |
@ghdprentice, thanks. I agree that the REF 6 is world class, definitely nothing wrong with it for me. But how about head to head? I've heard great things about the XP-32 as being even better than the REF 6, especially when paired with Pass Labs amps . . . Hence the dilemma! |
Perhaps some simple reasoning. “I love my ARC REF 6. It's a great piece of equipment..” you have achieved something many of us strive for! A piece of equipment that in the context of your system, you LOVE! But like many relationships, there’s the “grass is always greener” syndrome. “I love my wife but….” lol. You may be looking for an excuse justifying what may turn into a dalliance. You are worried about changing tubes in five or ten years? AND, you admit to having replacements on hand! Yeeeow! What about capicitors etc? I suppose you could try the Pass Labs unit before dumping your current “love” but you intimate it may be a one or the other situation. A real dilemma. I’ve faced the audiophile’s wandering ear problem. Maybe we, in this hobby, are destined to forever wander…unfulfilled! |
@johnlnyc, LOL! so true. Always looking for better. I like the way my system is right now, but I want a deeper soundstage. It may be a function of the size of my dedicated room (11x11x11), but I would like one more preamp upgrade before I retire or semi-retire and get flack for spending so much money on components, LOL! And if I get a new preamp, it's going to be solid state. The XP-32 seems to fit the bill and there is the fact that it is paired with a Pass Labs 250.8, so it seems like the obvious choice. the only question is whether it will be a step up and it looks like the only way I will figure it out is by getting one and putting it into the system for a while and selling the one that isn't better. in an ideal world, someone would have had both and can articulate the pros and cons of the switch . . . |
