ARC Reference 3 preamp: tube character?

Tvad has read my mind. To get what you are looking for I'd suggest your considering some older, perhaps even vintage, pre-amps even if you have to have them reconditioned. Early ARC like my SP10II might do, or MFA's or CAT's which were close to SOTA in the late 80's thru the early 90's. Some good CJ's too.

If that isn't your cup of tea then consider matching a currently high end tubed pre such as those from Lamm and focus on getting all of the rest of the sound qualities that you want from a tube amp. At least that is I would do. A great neutral pre-amp is ageless - even my old SP10 sounds dammed fine but it has been bettered in transparency in its line stage which improves soundstage depth.

FWIW.

I own a Ref 3 and concur with TVAD and Newbee. The design goals of Ref 3 -- which has been optimized for balanced operation -- seem to have been to be as even handed across the audible spectrum as possible without particular emphasis to any band. The mids are well developed but not bloomy, the bass is deep but well pitched and never fuzzy, the treble is extended but hardly ever screachy -- or at the opposite glossy. Staging is well defined but not in your face. Harmonic development and decay is clear but not 'new agy'. The effect is of general 'transparency' but not of etched anorexia. The overall sound is 'musical and full bodied' but not syrupy. I have selected it over: BAT VK51SE, VAC Renaissance II, VAC Renaissance Sig, Aesthetics Callisto, ARC Ref 2, ARC LS25 Mk.2, VTL 7.5 Mk.1,and a few other ones. The Ref 3 is neither a stereotypical tube-lover's-delight nor a forensic instrument for the 'clinical' crowd. Rather, because of its relative neutrality, it is very revealing of changes induced by components upstream/downstream and to any changes in ICs, speaker wires, PCs. You can make it 'warmer by switching its SED Winged 6550C in the power supply with a Tungsol 6550, but. . . why bother?! My quest for preamplifying nirvana is logged in some detail at:
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?aamps&1123254379&openmine&zzGuidocorona&4&5#Guidocorona
See in particular my audition findings for mid August 2005.

Rather than seeking something 'different', I now start to wonder what could out-Ref-3 a Ref 3?

You could probably better be served/pleased(based on your description of what you like) by a unit that could be stuffed with some of the British tubes(IE: Mullard, Brimar or Ediswan), or perhaps the RCA grey plates from the 60's. I always think of a sugary kind of glaze(picture donuts) when I hear those. Most of the pre-2000 preamps and amps used 12AX7/12AU7/6SN7 type drivers and/or phase splitters. There are plenty of NOS tubes(in those families) available from those companies that can provide the flavors you enjoy. The units that use the 6H30 will all probably be too un-colored for your tastes. Happy tube-tasting.

"Happy tube-tasting."

Hmm, good tube! . . . (Satisfying 'Krunch!') . . . OOOOOuch!!!!