Sherod,
No evaluation yet, he's been waiting a long time for the Ref 3, and is quite irritated.
As usual, this whole preamp scenario boils down to break-in procedure, your electricity supply, your system, your tube selection (if applicable) your ears and preferences.
I'd like to arrange a comparison, or if someone else here can compare or borrow a Ref 3, that's fine too, I'm curious to hear the results.