Tube Monoblock location? - Rack or near speakers?

I am in the same boat set-up wise.

However my question is a little equipment specific, sorry OP for hijacking the thread.

I am running the ARC Ref5 preamp to CAT's JL3 Mk.2 monoblocs. My dealer says single-ended sounds better but I am concerned that the 5meter length of ICs will degrade the sound. (I will use Nordost Freys)

What do you guys think?

5 meters is a long way to run single-ended cables.

FWIW your dealer must not know what balanced lines can do. His statement is preposturous.

But since the CAT has a single-ended input, and because the ARC does not support the balanced standard (which includes the ability to drive 600 ohms- you'll find it looses bass and output when trying to drive such a load) you are probably better off running the long single-ended cables. I know that the preamp has a 600 ohm output impedance but that is not the same as saying it can **drive** 600 ohms, and for balanced operation, that is important.

If the ARC did support the standard, you could run balanced lines to a set of transformers that could convert balanced to single ended right at the input of the amps. That way the length of the cable would not be a source of degradation. Jensen makes a nice set of transformers for that purpose that are 600 ohm to 600 ohm- now you see why I mentioned that part of the balanced line standard.

Thanks very much, Atmasphere.

I thought as much as well, still, much appreciated.

Atmasphere,

You mentioned that a preamp having 600 ohm output impedance doesn’t necessarily mean it could drive a 600 ohm load. So, not being an engineer, hence cannot read the schematics, is there a way to tell whether a preamp can drive a 600 ohm load by reading the specification general given by the manufacturers?

I am using an Aesthetix Callisto Signature, which has an output impedance of 600 ohm, and I wonder whether it supports the balanced standard that you mentioned.

Thanks

Isolating the tube amp on the floor or the shelf from vibrations is what matters more than where it is.

If the speakers and amps are sitting on a suspended floor,work on the underside floor joists and stiffen them up.

If the speakers are on a solid concrete basement carpeted floor,I think the amps placed beside them will perform better than on a less solid stand.
Of course there are costly equipment racks that will prove me wrong.

Short speaker wires and longer balanced IC are the way to go for me.