Conrad Johnson ACT2 against Audio Research Ref 3

Jafox,

Regarding:

A 10m RCA-RCA IC from my line stage to the amps works just fine. The CAT amps only have single-ended inputs which initially bothered me, but once I heard music with them, it was a moot issue. And any report that such lengths need to be balanced, at least in the context of my system, is simply not accurate.

Ditto for me, just sub VTL where you typed CAT. My single ended runs have no problems performance wise or noise wise.

I also agree the Aesthetix Io sounds better using the balanced out. In my case, only a one meter run to the Aesthetix Callisto.

C'mon guys.

Now it is getting into a pissing contest

It is as I said before a flavor thing and all of us should be happy with what rocks our sonic boat.

Ref 3 for some. ACT 2 for others and Aesthetix for still others.

Whatever works is OK.

John, I have no intention of swapping the ref 3 out for any other linestage for a long long time. And no, it has not been 6 months. My quest for a linestage has started in 2000 and will finally end only in one or two weeks when the creatures is finally delivered to my doorsteps.
Yet, being the old software test engineer that I am, I know it is in my genes to practice at home what I have done at work for many years, hence my interest in evaluating the ACT 2.

Now about balanced: I have Rowland 7M, which according to Jeff Rowland himself respond best balanced. I have also the X-01 player, which best behaves balanced. Why not optimize the system? I tried the Ref 3 both balanced and single ended on my own system with AQ Sky ICs in and out of it. . . and it does sound a great deal better in fully balanced mode.

The truly interest test will be the insertion of a CJ ACT 2 on my own system, using Sky RCA instead of SKY XLR.

I should add that, when I tried the ARC Ref 3 in single ended mode the test was unplanned. I turned off by mistake the balanced circuit on the remote, and for approx 20 minutes I scratched my head wondering why on earth the system was suddenly sounding so thin.

Guidocorona - Are you saying that the REF 3 sounds significantly different and better in balanced mode as compared to single-ended mode?