Audio Research Reference 5 SE

Preamplifierby Dennis Davis, September 8, 2012

© www.theaudiobeat.com

ine-stagepreampsaretoooftentheRodney Dangerfieldsofhigh-endaudiocomponents. Theygetnorespect,norespectatall.Audiophilesarealwaystryingtofindwaystodowithoutthem.Rememberthepassivepreamplifiercraze,whenhopesprangeternalthatallyouneededwasa10K-ohmpotentiometerconnectedtoaseriesofline-leveloutputs?And,ofcourse,anyfoolwithasolderingironandakitcatalogcouldcobbleoneofthosetogetherandconnectittoaCDplayerthattoutedenoughoutputtodriveanamplifier.Voila!Amightyblowwasstruckagainstthosegreedyequipmentmanufacturers,theonesthathadbeenforcingyoutobuyanextraboxjusttoconnectyoursourcecomponentsandswitchbetweenthem.

Althoughmostagreethatthepassiveployneverproducedthebestsound,theconstantsuggestionthatyou’renotreallynecessarycantakeitsinevitabletoll.Wheneveryoneisouttogetyou,youtendtolielow,keepyourmouthshut,andjusttryandgetonwithyourjob.Andifyouarealinestage,thatjobistosupply

attenuation,toloweroutputimpedanceandtoprovideswitchingforline-levelsources.Youcanforgettryingtodrawattentiontoyourself.Whilefewstillacceptthenotionthatthelinestageisdispensable,itremainsinmanywaystheleastsexylinkintheaudiochain.Whenitcomestogoodlooks,turntablesandspeakersofferfarmoreinterestingdesignandcosmeticsthanaboxofelectricalcircuits,tubesandknobs.Andnobodywouldsuggestthatanyotherpartoftheaudiochaincouldbegottenridof.You’lloftenreadcriticsdescribingtheeffectofalinestagealmostasifithasbeeneliminated,suggestingthattheunitissoneutralit“justgetsoutoftheway”and“letsthemusicthrough”--asifthebestlinestageisnolinestageatall.

However,thisclichéhasbeenappliedtosomanydifferent-soundinglinestagesthatithasbecomequitemeaningless.Howcantwodifferent-soundingunitseachsoundlikenothingatall--unlesstherearetwodifferentversionsofnothing?Andmoretothepoint,whatisthesoundofnothing?

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InNovemberof2011,AudioResearch(ARC)announcedthatitwasreplacingitsReferencePhono2andReference5.However,theydidnotchangethemodeldesignations,justaddingthe“SE”suffixtotheexistingnomenclature,signalingthatweshouldexpectrefinementsratherthanmajorrestructuringofthesealreadyverysuccessfulproductsthatgarnerednothingbutravereviews.

IwassufficientlyimpressedwiththeReference5’sperformance,andparticularlywithitsvalue,toaddittomysystemafterabstainingfromearlierReferencelinestages.Itreallywasanoutstandingunit,yetitnevercausedmetofallheadoverhealsinlovewithitinthesamewayIdidwiththeReferencePhono2,whichwassofaraheadofanythinginitspricerange.Ittradedpunchforpunchwithcompetingphonostagescostingfarmorewhiledoingsomethingsalittlebetter,capturingmyimaginationinawayfewcomponentshadbefore.I,alongwithRoyGregory,enthusedaboutitinissue72ofHi-Fi+,backinearly2010.Wewerehardlyaloneinouradmiration;TimAucremannsangitspraisesforThe Audio Beat.TheReferencePhono2notonlycametothedance,itstoletheheartsofthehandsomestsuitors.TheReference5,ontheotherhand,stoodinthebackground,quietlyattractingattentionwithoutflauntingitself.

AudioResearchlaterprovedthatitcoulddoevenbetterthantheReference5whenitintroducedtheReferenceAnniversaryinApril2010.ThiswasprettymuchtwicethelinestageastheReference5--twiceasmanychassisandtwiceasexpensive,rampingitupwellintothecostrangeofthemoreobscure,tweakier(andnotnecessarilyasconsistent)contendersfromahandfulofourmoreesotericcompanies.ButtheReferenceAnniversarywasaspecialeditionproducedforasingleyear,andnowit’sgone.Iwasnevertemptedbyitbecauseitstwo-boxformatisanathematomyspace-

limitedaudioaesthetic.Monoamplifiersareonething,buttwo-chassisphonoandlinestagesandCD/SACD“stacks”?Notforme.

Remarkably,ARChassolvedthedilemmaofsacrificingsoundtocompactconveniencebyincorporatingmanyofthedesignfeaturesoftheReferenceAnniversaryintotheSEversionoftheReference5.Evenbetter,thecostoftheSErepresentsonlyamodestincreaseovertheoriginal.TheReference5SEispricedat$12,995,makingit$1000moreexpensive.AndforownersofaReference5,thetrulygoodnewsisthatexistingunitscanbeupgradedfor$2500.Thebadnewsisthatbecauseofhighdemandandpartsdelays,AudioResearchishandlingexistingupgraderequestsfornowandhopestoresumetakingnewrequestsinthefall.

Fromtheoutside,theSElooksprettymuchthesameastheoriginalReference5,exceptthatthebuttonarrayhaschangedtoanewstyle.Also,thePlexiglastopcover,optionalfortheReference5,isnowstandard--andthat’sagoodthing.ARCknewfromthebeginningthatthePlexiglascoversoundedbetterthanthemetal,butofferedbothinanticipationofcustomerresistancetothePlexiversion.Apparentlytherewasnopushbackformetal,sotheobviousdecisionwastodispensewithitaltogether.ThechangesunderthelidaremoreextensiveandlargelymirrortheimprovementsincorporatedintotheReference150amplifier,releasedshortlyaheadoftheReference5SE:adoublingofthepower-capacitorcomplement,newTefloncouplingcapacitors,andsomeothercomponentreplacements.

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hattoexpectfromalinestage otherthantheobviousvolume, switchingandcouplingfunctions?Toanswerthatquestion,youneedtoconsiderwhatmusicisandhowittranslatestoreproducedsound.Atitsmostfundamental,musicisanartformthatimposesstructureuponaseriesofsoundsandnot-sounds(silence).Timedsequencesareorganizedintomelody,rhythmandharmony,eachhavingitsownrelationshiptotime,andthosethreefundamentalsarepiledtogethertoformacomplexlayerofeventsthatprovideatexturetomusic.Thatstructureisamatteroftiming,orthesequencingofevents.Likevisualart,musichasdimension,butunlikevisualartthathasaspatialdimension,musichasatemporaldimension--onedictatedbytime.It’sallabouttime,assomany

musicianshaveremindedus.WhetheritsDaveBrubeck’sTime Out,SonnyRollins’Newk’s TimeorJoeMorello’sIts About Time,music’s

mostfundamentalattributeistime,andunlesstimeispreservedintherecordingandplayback

electronics,theresultwillbedisappointing.

Fundamentaltothisrelationshipbetweenmusicandreproducedsoundistheabilityofacomponenttoconjureasoundstage.I’veneverunderstoodtheideathatthesoundstageisunimportantjustbecauseasupposedlyprimeseatatasymphonyhall,forinstance,mightproduceflat,lifelesssound.Iftheengineercapturedstagedepthintherecording,yourelectronicsshouldbeabletoreproduceit.Whetherthehallacousticcapturedbytherecordingengineerisan

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AudioResearchreleasedtheReferencePhono2inmid-2009,pricedat$11,995,anditwasanimmediatesuccess,settingnewperformanceandconveniencestandardsforatop-endphonostage.TheReferencePhono2producedoutstandingdynamicimpact,adelicateyetdetaileduppermidrange,adeep,refinedbottomend,agreatsoundstageandalownoisefloor.Iwaitedacoupleofmonths,livingwiththeReference5SEonitsownbeforeintroducingthecompanion,upgradedphonostageintothemix.AudioResearchintroducedessentiallythesamechangestotheReferencePhono2SEasthosedescribedfortheReference5SE,andtheyincreasedthepricebythesame$1000.LiketheReference5,theReferencePhono2canbeupgraded,butfor$2000.

Sowhatyouhavenowisthesameoutstandingphonostagewithamongthemostflexiblesetofvirtuesonthemarket:variableequalizationcurves,numerousloadingoptions(includingonethatyoucanhavecustomsetatthefactory)andtwogainchoices,allofwhichareswitchableviaremotecontrol,withthesamedoubled-uppower-supplycapacitance,Tefloncouplingcapsandothercircuitmodificationsasthe5SE.

Predictably,theimprovementsreflectthesameDNAasthoseheardinthelinestage.Alltheattributesof

theoriginalphonosectionremain,butmanyofthemareturnedupacoupleofnotches.Theimprovedbottomandtopends,alongwiththefinelystructuredsoundstagearedialedinevenmoredeeply.

Buttheimprovementsweremorethancumulative.Likeusingthesamecablethroughoutthesystem,thereisanadvantagetousingelectronicsthatweredesignedtogether.Youarenotworkingagainsttheweaknessesinyoursystem,usingthestrengthsofonecomponenttobalancetheproblemsinherentinanother.Whenpairingdesignsworksjustright,asitdoeswiththismatching,theresultismorethanjustthesumofitsparts.WiththetwoSEsectionsintandem,thedifferencesamongcartridgesbecamemuchmoreapparent.Ifoundmyselfspendingmoretimecomparingnotjustperformancesbutwhatdifferentcartridgesdidtothoseperformances,diggingouttreasuresfrommyrecordcollectionI’dnottouchedinyears--andinsomecases,decades.Likewise,theimprovementsbroughtaboutbytweakstothesystem,suchasthemarvelousStillpointsLPIsolator,weremoreobviouswiththenewunits,addingvaluetothatinvestmenttoo.

Whenanewcomponentsparkssuchaflurryofrediscovery,somethingveryspecialisgoingon.-DennisDavis

The Reference Phono 2 SE

exactduplicateofwhatyouwouldhaveheardinthathallunaidedbymoderntechnologyisadiscussionbestlefttorecording-engineerreviews.I’dalsopointoutthatyoudon’tsitwherethemicrophonesare.Alinestageshouldnotimposeasenseofthree-dimensionalspaceonotherwiseflat,lifelessrecordings,butunlessyourlinestagecanpreservethetimingcapturedbyarecordingengineerandpreservedbythemasteringengineer,subtledistinctionsbecomeblurred,andthatblurringtendstocollapsethethree-dimensionalconstructwecallasoundstage.

OneofthehallmarksofAudioResearchproductsistheirabilitytothrowageneroussoundstage.TheReference5wasnoslouchinthatdepartment,buttheReference5SEstartsfromthatpointandexpandsuponitinquantityand,mostimportant,quality.Istartedtheprocessofevaluatingthe5SEbyeschewinguseofthecompanionpiece,theReferencePhono2SE,inordertosegregatetheimpactofeachunit.Irantheunitinwithaidoftheburn-intrackoftheSheffieldLabs/XLOtestandburn-indiscforabout200hoursandthenbeganlisteningtoseveralCDsofsmall-scalemusicthatIknewwell,liketheHeartworn Highwayscompilation[LoosemusicVJCD167]andElla and Louis[FIMUHD045]--discsIhadlistenedtowiththeReference5whiletheSEwasbreakingin.

IttookonlymomentstorecognizethatIwashearingsomethingquiteremarkablefromthelatestversionofthislinestage.Itwasn’tthatthesoundstagewasblownuptogreaterproportions(althoughitdidexpandabit),butitwasthewaytheReference5SEorganizedtheinformationwithinthatstage.Iwashearingnuancesanddimensionsofthemusicthathadn’tbeentherehoursbefore.Townes

VanZandt’s“Waitin’‘RoundToDie”soundedmorethaneverbeforelikeitwasrecordedsittingaroundatableinacountryshack,

completewiththenoisewaftinginfromoutside.Boundariesbecamemoreapparentandthemicro-

dimensionswereredefined;individualeventswithinthesoundstageenjoyedtightenedfocusandbecamebetterdefinedinspace.

IftheReference5SEcouldredefinespacethiswellonasmallscale,howwoulditfareonsomethingreallycomplex?BecauseoftherecentBlu-rayreleaseofoneofmychildhoodfavorites,Journey to the Center of the Earth,IhadbeenlisteningquiteabittothefilmsoundtrackexcerptsonThe Fantasy Film World of Bernard HerrmannLP[DeccaPFS4309].Withanorchestraofwoodwinds,alargepercussionsectionandfiveorgans,thisrecordinghasalottosortoutandis

atorturetestforanysystemtomakesenseof(avoidtheLondonpressing,whichisitselfatorture,systemnotwithstanding).Someofthemoredemandingsectionscansoundmuddy,evenonthebestofsystems,andswitchingovertotheReference5SEreallygrabbedmyattention.Yes,itsortedoutthe

muckofthefiveorgans,butthenastherecordingseguedintoThe Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad soundtrack,withits“DuelwiththeSkeleton,”theSE’sabilitytosortoutandlockinthetiminghadskeletonsdancinginmylisteningroomasneverbefore.

TheBernardHerrmannLPalsoemphasizedtheimprovementsthattheReference5SEbroughtinthefrequency-extensiondepartment.Basswasbetterdefinedandmoredynamic.Theimprovementintop-endextensionwasalsoobvious,withmoreshimmertostringsandhighpercussionsounds,animpression

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confirmedwithmygo-tostringrecording,SalvatoreAccordo’sDiabolus In Musica[DGG4776492].

PianoalsoshonewiththeReference5SE.YevgenySudbin’scollectionofChopinNocturnes, Mazurkas and BalladesonBISSACD[SACD-1838]isaprettyoutstandingpianorecordingandsoundsgoodonalmostanysystem.The5SE,however,allowedtherecordingtobreathe,withmoreairaroundthenotes,lockingthesoundintighterthanthestandardReference5andleavingopenthespacearoundthenotestoholdthesoundofthedecayandeffectoftheroomreflections.Thenewinformationthatshowedthroughwiththe5SEhadmesearchingtheInternettoconfirmwhatSt.George’sinBristol,England,(wheretherecordingwasmade)lookedlike.That’sthekindofdetailIwantmyequipmenttodigoutoftherecording--newinformationthatgivesinsightintotheperformanceandvenue.

hatthiscollectionofattributesaddedupto morethananythingwasasenseofforward movement,oflifeandenergy.Thisisahardthingtoquantifyormeasure,butitincreasinglyimposeditselfonmylisteningimpressionsovertime.Which

bringsusbacktotheissueoftime.Whetherthecollectionofvirtues--betterarticulatedbass,extendedhigh-frequencyperformance,dynamic

punchandtheabilitytore-createanextendedandwell-definedsoundstage--isjustalistofseparate

attributesorwhethertheircombinationresultsinabettersenseofmusicalpropulsionandrhythmicaccuracycanbedebated.Butaseachoftheseattributesisfundamentallyrelatedtothetimingofevents,mysenseisthatthereisanadditivefunction.Whatevertheanswer,theReference5SEcouldbesaidtobeallabouttime;theimprovementsoveritsforerunnersinsortingouttemporalelementsweresignificantandmadeitamuch-improvedlinestage.

WhiletheReference5wasanaccomplishedlinestageandamongahandfulofthebestavailable,theSEversionaddedanexpansionofperformancethatpropelleditintoaclassagainstwhichothersaremeasured.IhaveheardofonedealerwholivedwiththeReferenceAnniversarylinestagesinceitsinception,butafterhavingtheReference5SEin-houseforawhile,hesoldoffhisAnniversaryandkeptthe5SE,whichhepreferrednotjustfortheprice,butalsofortheperformance.AswiththeReferencePhono2whenitfirstcameout,IhavefallenhardfortheReference5SE,andthat’safirstforalinestage.

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Price:$12,995.

Warranty: Threeyearspartsandlabor.

AudioResearchCorporation3900AnnapolisLaneNorthPlymouth,Minnesota55447(763)577-9700

www.audioresearch.com

Associated Equipment

Analog:VPITNT-6turntablewithrimdriveandSDSspeedcontroller,VPI12.7tonearm,LyraSkalaandTitanMonocartridges,KoetsuCoralcartridge,AudioResearchReferencePhono2andReferencePhono2SEphonostages.

Digital:AudioResearchReferenceCD7CDplayer.

Preamplifier:AudioResearchReference5.

Power amplifier:AudioResearchReference150.

Loudspeakers:AvalonAcousticsTranscendent.

Interconnects:NordostValhalla.

Speaker cables: NordostFrey.

Power conditioners:QuantumQBase8andQX4.

Power cords:NordostValhalla.

Equipment rack, platforms and accessories:BillyBagsequipmentrackmodifiedwitha4”mapleplatform,StillpointsUltraisolators,StillpointsComponentStands,FurutecGTXD-RhodiumACoutlet.

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