Audio Research Reference 10. Not a review. Road trip!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Sound demo for this system kzbin.info/www/bejne/fnLEq2mdZq9pn5I

[@wa2368]

It usually comes down to the room above a gear price threshold. Is his room and pertinent treatments a lot better than yours? It could explain why yours sounded like a toy in comparison w.r.t airiness, soundstage, etc. If his setup was migrated to your room and it started to sound like a toy, there it is...

[@ThomasAndStereo]

@@wa2368 Yup that is possible too.

[@jctai100]

What is the name of that Wonder Woman track Thomas?

[@ThomasAndStereo]

@@jctai100 "Wonder Woman's Wrath"

[@jctai100]

@@ThomasAndStereo Thanks!

[@toddhupp]

The matched burl panels on the speakers are STUNNING! They look like they have large AMT of for the highs highs.Very enjoyable tour Thomas.

[@phonatic]

Opening up the Rowland amp was truly a real treat, thank you to you and your friend, awesome! And even though I don't believe in expensive cables myself, if it feels right and money isn't an issue, why not? It's all about having a good time after all. 😊

[@skyhawk3090]

Impeccable set and cables! One of a kind. Thanks to your friend and you for sharing this moment with us. Good luck!

[@sonomaconcho]

Thomas , thanks so much for sharing. It reminds me when a close friend called me and had just bought a pair of 45,000 dollar speaker. He had hooked them up to a mono block McIntosh system and wanted me to come over to listen to the new speakers. Never in my life have l heard such a wonderful system. We played classical, jazz, rock, vocal, instrumental. Everything we threw at this system made music you just wanted to sit back and listen to the beautiful sound stage and separation. This reminded me of that day. Thanks again for sharing and it’s it exciting to hear other peoples systems and share our experiences and joys of hearing some beautiful music fidelity systems out there….

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

Thank you Thomas and special thanks to your friend for allowing you to share a glimpse of his system. I listened to the earlier sound clips. Gives a great hint of what it must be like in the room. Effortless clarity. The system is also visually stunning. I for one do not have a system in this price range, but very much appreciate the opportunity to experience it. My DIY goals are to get as close to these as possible. Speakers will always be the limiting factor in my world.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@robk5745]

Such an amazing set up, I’ve never heard such a thing in my life, I appreciate you doing something different. Audio research is such classy gear, so well made.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Thank you!

[@robk5745]

@@ThomasAndStereo no thank you

[@antonchigurh4125]

Nice to see as much attention has been given to the room as well as the system. Awesome set-up!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Yes, thanks

[@auggysimcity]

The SQ would be much better if it was only a two tier 5/6’ rack.. that stand and TV hinders SQ.

[@auggysimcity]

I think it’s the speakers that make the system shine. Some of the best available on the market.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

@@auggysimcity The plan is to move it to the side, it will cost him about $30k to do it because that is the cost of the XLR interconnect. He will eventually do it.

[@auggysimcity]

@@ThomasAndStereo Tney do not need to drop 30K. Check out box audio furniture. Handmade in Brooklyn U.S.A. If its good enough for stereophile reviewers, I’m sure they will love it! Custom or stock. Whatever one desires. Good luck

[@latheofheaven]

WOW! What an adventure! Thank you Mr. Thomas for taking us along 💥💥💥 😃

[@sbhand5740]

What I love about this video is how excited, bordering on giddy, you are to hear this system

[@ThomasAndStereo]

I was!

[@HB92647]

Very cool video. I’m upgrading my ref 6 se tomorrow for a ref 10. This video has me stoked! Thanks.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Congrats.

[@soowat1190]

I would be very nervous to open the cover of such a beautiful machine...😅 Thank you Thomas and your friend's commitment to make this video happens. Awesome! 👏👏

[@nobodyimportant2294]

Awesome 👏 Thomas you rule 👊🏻 And please let your friend know that it’s inspiring to see his fantastic system 🙏 Kudos to the booth of you!

[@firedragon1876]

Congratulations on your new experience.hope i get to hear a system of that caliber sounds like an amazing treat.

[@divertiti]

Thomas, thank you so much for going back to the high end and showing proper hifi systems, I remember this system, and it was the reason I owned a pair of Raidhos on my journey

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Wow, congrats on the Raidho, I would love to own a pair one day.

[@mordante01]

I still own a pair of Raidhos, the X3 to be exact. But sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice.

[@Kowinaida]

Great video Thomas. Really interesting to see his system. More videos like this please!

[@scottbaylor6215]

Looks amazing. Enjoyed the video. Keep up the good work. 🤘🏼🎸🤘🏼

[@tahsinguneysu2313]

Beyond the systems, cable , speakers, amps, preamps, DACs, streamers etc.. You and the other you-tubers showed me, What I appreciate much is your attitude Thomas. Thanks you for your kind attitude against ordinary people like me, who may be never ever realize an audiophile dream such as your friend did. Awesome system. Enjoy it.

[@marklawrence4116]

Excellent Video Thomas - wonderful job

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Many thanks!

[@jackbaker9023]

Thanks for taking us along to see this system. So glad you enjoyed it too. Your piano friend is correct; you can hear the piano's mechanical parts moving while playing if you are maybe two feet away from it (there are actually more than 12,000 parts in a piano). However, at normal concert or performance distances, the piano tone is much louder than the mechanics of the piano. So don't worry if you can't hear it, it's not supposed to be heard.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Thanks for the tips!

[@vaneast411]

really enjoying your content Thomas. Thanks!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

My pleasure!

[@budgetaudiophilelife-long5461]

🤗THANKS THOMAS…I DIDN’T EXPECT TO GET AN OPPORTUNITY LIKE THIS SO SOON 🤗😉 🤗THRILLED TO GET TO GO ALONG 👀👏👏👏…THANK YOUR FRIEND FOR SHARING HIS HOME AND SYSTEM WITH US 😎🥶SUPER COOL 😍😍😍

[@novicatoncic6908]

Being surrounded by so many audiophile friends, you’re lucky man Thomas!

[@0BURNT0TOAST0]

I love the enthusiasm Thomas, beautiful system.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Thanks!

[@ramsaybolton9099]

Great video. I think I heard the noise you were referring to, it comes from the right side on the Yiruma track. There is definitely an editing issue at 2:49, the recording quality changes just briefly on the Tidal Masters stream.

[@bkatbamna]

I remember this system from before. Great system, I'm sure it sounds great in person.

[@MC-ht6lw]

Thank you for showing us this fantastic gear, very nice indeed.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@JingoLoBa57]

Awesome experience Thomas, lucky you!

[@HiFiTurtle]

Love the simplicity of the setup, a true reference

[@astertm99]

Thanks for taking us along with you on this trip, Thomas!! That is an awesome system. I have never heard about K2HD CD's - although I have quite a few SHM-CD's bought from CD Japan.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Yeah, all kind of special CDs from Asia. I made a video on it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHawemqIa5mWpa8

[@paulhammond2245]

Happy for your friend. Great job as always.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@johnbrown4568]

Thanks for the tour...

[@gil3green]

Thanks, for inviting us in! I guess I never get enough of this stuff! Should use the stuffed animals for your demo again ie the 3 or 4 players playing the same instrument.

[@adamhull2648]

Great video Thomas! I’m seriously considering an Audio Research tube preamp to complement my solid state class AB mono blocks, and this video isn’t helping me resist that urge. 😁

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Mr Kanta just bought the Audio research REF 6SE, I wonder how close is it.

[@JingoLoBa57]

Oddly… my CD9 Ref ARC player is a tube stage source that plays into a SS ARC preamp LS10SE and SS poweramp M900u. And all the characteristics of tube into solid state that you are experiencing here are evident. That said, I’m fascinated to hear the Jeff Roland amps here to RE calibrate my impressions of class d amps too. Esp with his new preamp in the system.

[@oldschoolaudioenthusiast]

Thomas, this is a fun video! Thanks! 😃

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pennfootball71]

Raidho D3 my freind had thy were amazing. We used Mola Mola monoblocks and he also used a Lampizator Pacific as the preamp and dac. This is a nice set up. I like more boogie woogie and would switch to a shunyata loom.

[@MrPkimura]

Audio goals for sure. Thanks for bringing us along for the ride.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Any time!

[@daveycrockett5738]

This video is quite welcome like a breath of fresh air

[@triode1212]

The large gold capacitors are TRT Stealth metalized polypropylene capacitors, they are used as coupling capacitors in the Ref 10. The Anniversary Ref 40 used Teflon caps. Actually, the circuit boards between the Ref 10 and Anniversary Ref 40 preamps are identical. So the only difference are the coupling caps and the user interface between the two preamps. The Stealth caps will sound more dynamic and a bit more forward than the Teflon caps which will sound a bit softer and laid back in comparison.

[@treadmillrepair754]

I work fixing Audio Research gear in my Country. Reference 10 is amazing piece of equipment I have heard everything of Audio Research, all units are fantastic. 6h30n is an amazing tube used in all these preamps except for the Referece one. Best Regards.

[@neps4th]

Excellent field review !! Still loving my Freya/bridged Aegirs / Elac UB52

[@ThomasAndStereo]

You have a great system!

[@raphaelmeillat8527]

Great video Thomas. Nice to experience stuff I would love to have at home but will never buy!

[@ericharrelson2045]

That was indeed a really nice system. Thanks

[@ThomasAndStereo]

You bet

[@jefft275]

Nice system! I love AR and Rowland gear. I've never heard that amp but in the past I preferred his class AB amps like the 735 over the class D ones. I'd like to hear those in person. I've chatted with Jeff Rowland a few times at shows and he is a great guy.

[@WelkySchullin]

TY for the vid. I was a bit dissapointed that you showed only the inside of the power base not the amplifiers themselfs. Cheers

[@ThomasAndStereo]

I did film that and will share that part on my Patreon actually.

[@piglingbland8666]

Conspicuous consumption is so wonderful!

[@DynamicAudio]

Thank Thomas. Great set-up there...was surprised by the size of those Class D monos. I have tried the Ref 6 SE in my set up and thought it was a great pre amp...I am sure the Ref 10 is a level up. Keen to try them...may be one day!

[@jamesgotto2960]

Thanks Thomas. Awesome system!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Glad you like it!

[@serdardemiral9059]

Thanks Thomas for the video. I would strongly suggest you to try Octave Audio Hp 700 preamp. You might be very surprised.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Thanks for the tip!

[@montycaps8235]

Thanks so much for this one. Great video !!!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@antonyharding5360]

Love the vids and amazing system Money well spent in my view..... Regards Antony Warrington

[@rw3915]

Great work Thomas.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@cdunphy457]

great video thank you for showing me

[@klaymoon1]

Reference 10 preamp is one of my all time favorites.

[@mrmatthewpaul]

Why would they make a woofer with diamonds? I think it is great when you able to hear details and separation that could only be heard in the studio or live but anything other then that would distraction from the music. There was this one piece of music of a singer that was tapping his feet to keep the tempo without any other instrument but the stage was acting like a drum amplify his tapping the mic picked the stage. It makes me wonder what it would it sound like if the stage was better built. There are many live albums that I can't hear the music over all the ambient noise.

[@kennygsmooth83]

As always, thanks for sharing your experience with us. Your friend has an amazing system. I've yet to hear anything by Audio Research. I've always loved the look of Transparent Audio, but would not attempt to buy anything from them right now 😂

[@daveycrockett5738]

What is the name of the song with the grand piano and the sounds of said grand piano chuffing from the insides of it moving around? Really wanna test out and see if I can hear it on my system

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Kiss the rain from Yimura

[@greenbeginner3353]

Loved the tour.

[@Pete.across.the.street]

Damn, I wish I had that kind of money. I just ordered the gustard p26 hopefully it will sound good in my system 😁

[@daveycrockett5738]

Please we need more speaker reviews.

[@jo05dk]

I would love to know someone with such a highend system. Listening to that must me one hell of an eye opener...and best reason to never ever feel good about your own system :D Anyways: This was enjoyable. Much kudos for sharing your experiences :)

[@billfarrell4387]

Always fun to hear systems we can’t afford Take Care

[@jiyadas]

Thomas what make are the black wall receptacles? Looked like some kind of surge protection built into them.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

They are transparent outlets. Dedicated power lines.

[@jiyadas]

@@ThomasAndStereo Thanks man also nice video

[@xstensl8823]

i had a ARC SP 11, and a LS-18, my neighbor had a SP-10 it was the best Pre i have ever heard. both had a oUTBOARD PSU, had a bunch of Jeff Rowland stuff too. flew into Colorado springs and go to hang out with him. cool dude and what a listening room!! now i have a 3k system and it is pretty close. you don't have to spend a ton of money today to get the goose bumps. get a Rega Brio. your not paying for audio jewelry

[@vicg5323]

Did he get the Rolands from OCD Mickey? Thomas please do a review of Rolands smaller 3K, 6K, and 16K amps.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Haha, I wish I have access to those.

[@jackbarnard1781]

Wow Thomas!!! An outting to Toronto an afternoon w/ a super reference system & the best Chinese food what a day!!! Good tunes w/ orange chicken pork lo mein pork fried rice & egg rolls. With a starbucks coffee to go with. Perfect!!!!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

So good!

[@trucchuong1726]

That was a great trip Thomas. Thanks for posting the vid., and I've just stopped by a gas station on my way to work to get a lottery ticket 😆 I will let you know if I hit it, have a good day!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Don't forget me if you win!

[@trucchuong1726]

@@ThomasAndStereo a powerball jackpot prize! Yes Thomas, I promise to get you a system at least that good with real natural 💎 on it 😆, have a great day Sir!

[@VladVonGrigorian]

Why is it I watch every video you make smiling like an idiot? Your excitement is simply infectious.

[@Telemed911]

Nice! - similar to my system, except that I have Wilson Audio SASHA DAW speakers.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Very nice

[@musicman8270]

I have a Cambridge transport and a Yamaha CDS1000 for SACD, and CD does sound great.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Very nice!

[@abhimawa1]

Nice video Thomas! About the Yiruma, can you specify which album you listened to? I use streaming service and there are several albums, and each sound different (mastering version & recording also play significant roles; you know, such as mic positioning, sibilance reduction etc). Tks!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

I don't know as he just gave me that one song.

[@LuxAudio389]

I think in one of my emails to you I described that detail of the hammers hitting the piano cords and the movement of the player with the VTL 5.5 on my Sopra No.3's. I'm sure it's not as clear as your friend's, but it's very noticeable. See if you can hear it on Mr. Kanta's Sopra's. I need to look up the details on diamond woofers and how they work. Just a stunning system overall! I love his Granite racks with the industrial screw and bolt adjustment. I'm elated just thinking that he has everything he wants. ❤️‍🔥👏👏👏

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Yes I should try it there.

[@labernese]

These ultra high end videos are fun, like watching a video on the GT500 or McLaren P1 - I’ll never be able to afford one but one can dream 💭

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Yeah, you get the point of this video, just for fun.

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

Well put. I am a car enthusiast and really enjoy videos of a P1. Actually had a bus colleague who drove one to our meetings back in early 90's.

[@scottyo64]

@@user-od9iz9cv1w P1s production started in 2013

[@user-od9iz9cv1w]

Right you are. As I read this I was thinking F1. I have never seen a P1 in the wild. The F1 was pretty slick tho.

[@jeffkalina7727]

Thanks for sharing the beautiful audiophile eye candy Mr Raidho! Question- On the Rowland amp class D supposed to not get warm. Why the big heat sinks? Why did you not play the system for even 10 seconds?

[@ThomasAndStereo]

If I played something, it would demonetize the video unless I play non copyright songs which I did not have access, I did included a sound demo in the first link. Yeah, I don't know why it is so big.

[@villageroma]

Speechless. I wonder how the sound of the system would improve on mids with Jadis mono bloks or just the I88 as power amp.

[@marc-andregagne6826]

Which Wonder Woman track is it? I want to blast it on my system and see how many instruments I will hear (probably just one :-D)

[@ThomasAndStereo]

"Wonder Woman's Wrath"

[@marc-andregagne6826]

@@ThomasAndStereo Thanks Thomas! And thanks to your friend for letting us get a glimpse of what could be. "instrument seperation blablabla :-D"

[@GavinHodgson]

Absolutely zero instrument separation here 😂

[@zatosan729]

Thomas: Nice work.

[@michaelmityok1001]

This video is the antidote to all those who spew venom at those who are willing and able to spend $$$$$ chasing perfection. Prentending those who can afford it are audiophools is a complete waste of time, and this video is evidence of that, well done Thomas!

[@tomewang]

Thanks Thomas and your friend for sharing. I just tried to listen to Kiss the Rain. I couldn't quite hear it at first but by the second half of the piece I can pick up the piano mechanism sound. BTW, I have a nice grand piano a few feet away from my sound system. Got my new sound system a few months ago, ~$16k. It is no match compared to my piano. I wonder how close your friend's system will come to live, probably pretty close.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

So that is the Piano mechanism sound, I was wondering what was the correct term.

[@tomewang]

@@ThomasAndStereo when I play my piano, there are 2 types of sound. One is the hammer mechanism. Sound like wood parts moving and maybe hit or rub lightly against each other. Another is where the felt damper releases (when pedal is pressed down) and the string now can vibrate freely and you hear a faint chime/ringing sound. I hear the second type more easily which is common for Steinway pianos. I not sure about other pianos. Some piano recordings are very obvious for both types. Need detailed speakers to hear these in the recordings like you said.

[@mikeday62]

Did anyone catch the brand of the speakers? I think he said the model was B3. I don't see them listed with the rest of the gear.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Raidho D3

[@mikeday62]

@@ThomasAndStereo Thank you Thomas...what an awesome system!

[@aceofspades6667]

Arc > Mc at least for my tastes. Viva is the goat though. Thx for the fun content ✌️

[@aceofspades6667]

Just finished watching the video.. thx to the owner for letting us get a tour of his system! Quite a beauty of a setup...

[@igorcosta8559]

I gotta find myself friends with this kind of gear. Would be awesome to do a beer night with music there.

[@tothemax324]

Those JR amps are classy. 2A3 tube power amp on the way. Good one Thomas

[@jdekong3945]

thanks Thomas

[@laurelhardy4064]

My wife spends thousands of dollars on shoes and jewellery, so no matter how expensive a hi-fi gear, I will not get offended, great video, thank you Thomas.

[@douglasbonner6543]

How about Vancouver BC for Chinese food?.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Yes, they can compete with Toronto forsure.

[@bagelhunk]

Faye Wong cd?

[@rianredfield5252]

Excellent

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Redstickler1000]

Hey Thomas, were you able to hear the sound on your main system? I tried on my system which is very simple, Bluesound Powernode and PSB X2T speakers. Not exactly high end. Anyway, I had to literally put my ear to the tweeter and I also hear a faint chuffing sound. Not sure if this what you heard, it actually sounded more like modulation of the background system hiss. What do you think? I am planning on building a much better system when I retire in a couple of years and have more time on my hands. Keep up the fantastic reviews. I loved the one you did with Harleys Sibelius speakers which I watched last night. I was already subscribed to his channel and really like the way he speaks and presents in a very down-to-earth, professional and trustworthy manner. I would definitely buy a 2nd hand car from him let alone a pair of his Sibelius speakers which I imagine are wonderful 🙂.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Not yet but I am sure I will with one of my amps

[@AbsoluteFidelity]

Hi Thomas, so did you hear the chuffing sound on your main system? Also, which part of the song has the chuffing sound?

[@ThomasAndStereo]

I have no time to test yet!

[@cube3212]

Which wonder woman song was that with the 3-4 instruments?

[@ThomasAndStereo]

"Wonder Woman's Wrath" The song has many instruments, just that I can tell it was a few people were playing the same tune with the same instrument at the same time.

[@auggysimcity]

Correct Thomas. Almost one of the most expensive tube linestage.. I could be wrong though I think VAC holds that title. More vids like this please!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Yeah, that $100k VAC preamp, he did actually try it too.

[@auggysimcity]

@@ThomasAndStereo I find it hard to fathom that ARC surpassed VAC ….

[@auggysimcity]

Both are great companies. Just a different flavor.

[@jungtarcph]

Go Danish Speakers !!! I cannot wait to get a system like that one day!

[@iampuzzleman282]

Pls review more high-end stuff this is awesome. And focus on integration with home theater

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Glad you enjoyed it.

[@Audfile]

Amazing!

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@anirbans2006]

Looking at the internals, my first reaction was beauty lies in simplicity :)

[@michaelwright1602]

Gorgeous system!

[@vicg5323]

Oh, Thomas in addition, what 3K setup did you have in mind when you mentioned a 3 K system. Great video and thank you and Mr. Rado for sharing.

[@ThomasAndStereo]

None particular but I know give me $3k and I am sure I can get a good system up. Like an R8+whatever budget speaker that is to your taste.

[@johngordon1175]

The cones probably do not distort at other frequencies.

[@papschmear]

Whats the song and timestamp for that audio queue you were referencing?

[@ThomasAndStereo]

Jump to 11:27.