Hi Russellrcncom, yep, I agree with you on all points.
I guess my main point in this( looking back I misread a post...sorry guys) but in this economy, especially on wall street NY, NJ and LA where the high $$ incomes have gone down the tubes, the loss of jobs...then take a look at the $$ speakers reviewed in TAS last month, and the price of the components reviewed in the last Stereophile.
I just find it perplexing with all the dealerships that are struggling(I know one personnaly) where the demand for high $ components has dropped considerably.
But yet all I see is higher $$ components still being reviewed and mentioned...
Maybe it's just me on the list who can't afford a 12K pre-amp let alone a 20K+ BAT REX, or feel I am being scammed by the every 4 or 5 year changes...then to read how many or most ARC fans say the older stuff sounds better.
Sorry, guys...I'll drop out. Please continue on with the discussion of the Ref 5.
As a note, every ARC system I have heard I liked.