Audio Research PH-7

Hi,

I heard this one at the Stereophile show a few weeks ago. Very open, lots of resoulution...sounds like real music....I was only able to listen for about 20 minutes...

There is a nice review in Issue 45 of hi-fi+ magazine. I have had mine for about 4 months and it has about 300 hours of play time. I would say that it has a large soundstage with a full and intoxicating sound. As much as I enjoyed my previous Dynavector P-75 (a great bargain) and my Audible Illusions M3A with the John Curl gold phonostage, the PH7 easily shows it is in a different league. I am still using the stock 6922's and will be rolling some different tubes through in the next several months but I am not sure it can get much better. I am using it with: Audio Research VT100MK3 amp; ARC Ref 3 preamp; Verity Parsifal Ovation Speakers; Basis 2001 Signature turntable with the Vector 3 arm and a Dynavector XV 1s cartridge.

I have not heard it.

I brought home a ph-5 and it was very nice so I ended up buying a ph-7 to get the full impact of the new gain stage from the re-3.

I just picked up a ref-3 and together I have a system I never though I could own. I would call it sonic fireworks in that every thing is distinct and I can look all around the soundstage and listen to each instrument in its own space as well as just listen to the performance.

I have never had the felling of depth and space as I do now. The ref-3 replaced a classe cp-60 and the ph-7 replaced a Melos tube phono stage. The new ARC stuff should be heard, it is outstanding....Steve