Audio Research Corp Ref 5 SE

Just got mine today!

Running it in now. I think they also changed one of the transformers.

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae132/doggiehowser/21bbd5e1.jpg

http://i965.photobucket.com/albums/ae132/doggiehowser/c78f57ce.jpg

Doggiehowser, did you get the upgrade of the Ref 5 or is this a new "out of the box" unit? Did you have the chance to A/B the Ref 5 to the SE?

I am unsure about getting my Ref 5 upgraded. I'm concerned the SE may be way out of balance with the rest of my system. Alternatively, if I was to drop the bucks of an SE upgrdae (whatever it is) into my system, I might do better waiting to change out my PH-7.

Just not sure?? Also not sure how long ARC will do the SE upgrade. Maybe for the indefinte future???

I'm standing pat on my amp. It's too close to the Ref 110 to change it out. If I change out the amp, it only makes sense to wait for Ref 150s to hit the pre-owned market. At this point, IMO, digital "redbook" CD (actual discs) is generally just fair, so I'm not motivated to change out my CD-7 CDP. Think I'd rather get a DAC 8 instead.

Any thoughts??

BTW, my system description is listed on A'gon.

Thank you all, I'll even buy the new model, as it has changed a lot.

I switched to the CD 8, and found the wonderful change, combined with the very Ref 5, McIntosh 601 and Sonus Faber Amati Futura.

Let's keep the SE discussions in this thread.

I live in the Far East so it was more attractive to trade the Ref5 back to the local dealer to get the SE.

Since this is a new box, it's hard to do any real comparison. And also because it's now currently in my THIRD system ;)

I am currently using my Bel Canto DAC3.5/LNS which I had displaced from my main system recently with an EMM Labs XDS1 and partnered with, don't laugh, a Quad 12L Active studio monitors (internally bi-amped with Quad's Current Dump amps derived from the 909s ;P)

I had my Ref5 in this system just a few months ago but partnered with a W4S DAC2 as a source. And in the interim, I have used a Bladelius Embla on loan from a friend as a DAC/pre/CDP/media player.

One of things I liked about the Embla was how precise the imaging was vs the Ayon CD5S and the ARC before this. But it lacked the same kind of depth as with the tube designs.

With the REF5SE just out of the box, it appears as if that the imaging is more precise than the REF5. But while still maintaining the same 3Dimensionality.