AR Ref 5 when combined with Krell EVO 302 or Levinson 523 gave a beautiful midrange with acoustics and vocals, thick, and I preferred it much more to when it teamed up with Ar Ref 75.
However, when there were a lot of drums, bass, distortion in the song, the bass from Krell and Levinson muddied up the midrange, while the AR power amp kept it clean and the separation was higher. That made me prefer the AR combo overall.
However, if I could take out the bass problem by using a mix of decoupling, acoustic panels, and room correction, I might prefer the SS power amps again.
Also tried the Burmester, it was flatter than Krell and Levinson, a bit cleaner, but not my preference.
However, when there were a lot of drums, bass, distortion in the song, the bass from Krell and Levinson muddied up the midrange, while the AR power amp kept it clean and the separation was higher. That made me prefer the AR combo overall.
However, if I could take out the bass problem by using a mix of decoupling, acoustic panels, and room correction, I might prefer the SS power amps again.
Also tried the Burmester, it was flatter than Krell and Levinson, a bit cleaner, but not my preference.