Home Amp/Preamp Asylum

Looking for a new Amp or Preamp? If you're after tubes, post over here.

ARC Progress: Reference 5 line stage and the HD220 power amplifier

rgurney,

Rumours, hearsay, and speculations: The Audio Research REF 5 line stage preamp is apparently a substantially revised design as compared to the REF 3. The chassis is larger and there is a single, horizontal board instead of the series of three vertical boards used in the 1, 2, and 3. The power supply is supposed to be substantially increased. The circuit is to use the same tube complement as the REF 3: 4- 6H30 plus 1-6L6GC and 1-6H30 in the power supply.

No one I know or have read has seen or heard the REF 5, but one of the qualities known is that the REF 5 will have a comparative 3dB reduction in noise. How this is done using the same tubes is a mystery, but then Mr. Johnson has shown with the REF3 and LS26 that he is really getting to understand the potential of the 6H30.

The impression I've been given is that the REF 5 will be in the $11,000-12,000 range in price.

A friend mentioned that Johnson began work on the REF 5 almost immediately after the release of the REF 3. As to why "4" was skipped, my speculation is that it may have to do with the design discontinuity with the three earlier REF's in terms of chassis and layout.

Unenlightened self-interest: I've heard the REF 3 only three times, and it is a superb preamplifier in every way, the first preamp in a long while that could replace my SP10- well, at least the line stage. I'm hoping the REF 5 is the substantial advance promised and in a year or two I can afford a used REF3!

Now, as the 6H30 seems poised to replace the 6DJ8 in the high end preamp tube, I hope other tube manufacturers will see the benefits and produce competing versions of the 6H30's- a "Super-Supertube" .

I'll be very interested to hear the REF 5.

HD220: Another recent ARC product with 6H30's is the HD220 power amplifer, a new direction for ARC. This is in concept, I assume, similar to the hybrid designs of Jolida- glass pushing sand, using 2-6H30 drivers and 2-6922's voltage amps with an output stage "comprised of twelve Thermal Trak® bipolar output devices per channel, producing 220 WPC into 8 ohms, and nearly 400 WPC into 4 ohm". This hybrid design, another evolution in the use of the 6H30, is said by someone I trust to be really good sounding, similar to the REF 210, which is one of ARC's best. The HS220 is expensive- $9,000, but a pair of REF 210's with about the same power rating is $20,000. Plus as the Ohms go down the power goes up as compared to tube outputs, so the HD220 I would think will be especially attractive to speakerplanarites and those speakers that dip to 1 or 2 ohms. And an attractive feature of the HD220 is not having to replace 16-6550's every three or four years- over 20 years a $4-5,000 savings! The SD135 is a related 130W design but without the tube front end. Some have said it's better than the excellent 100.2 and if so, would be a solid state amplifier to listen to. > Has anyone here heard the HD220 or SD135?

So far, the switch to the 6H30 and sale last year of Audio Research hasn't seemed to diminish their progress.

Cheers,

Bambi B

[ARC: SP8, SP10, LS3, D115, D130 ]


This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
  K&K Audio / Lundahl Transformers   [ K&K Audio / Lundahl Transformers Forum ]


Follow Ups Full Thread
Follow Ups

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?
Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
  Remember my Moniker & Password  (What's this?)    Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:
Message:   (Posts are subject to Content Rules)
Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:  Automagically notify you when someone responds.