My sense was that ARC wanted a bit more excitement in their sound -- something to distinquish the 3 from the 2SE. The 3 had a slightly fuller, weightier sound with a sense of pushing the music at me, its sound was more forward, slightly less relaxed, slightly less natural. Slightly more depth and layering - which is what you reported. A bit more harmonic information in the mid-bass. This is not so much about instrument positioning, but overall character. It was bolder, more masculine, more extroverted than the 2SE.
Since I am currently demoing a 3 SE and own a 2 SE, it's interesting that I don't hear that at all.
Through extended listening I actually don't find the 3 SE forward at all, rather it seems to be more revealing of what is behind the plane of the speakers.
I'd say the 2 SE is actually a little muddy by comparison - not bad, but as I referenced in a previous post, the harmonica at the beginning of New Frontier was just kind of over on the right hand side through the 2 SE where it's delineated clearly in space behind the plane of the right speaker through the 3 SE.
I didn't mean to but I realize I just spent four hours listening to the 3 SE putting on album after album - I just couldn't stop. I'd actually call the 3 SE more musical and the 2 SE less resolving, perhaps more "tubby" in character, yet the 3 SE retains the warmth and soundstage of tubes. That makes the 3 SE seem more musical than the 2 SE to me, with the 3 SE seeming more natural and the 2 SE being a bit more "honey colored" if you will, giving a little bloom where none exists on the recording.
I've got the 3 SE for a few more days, so I'll report back if I feel any differently when I swap back to the 2 SE.
Thanks for the explanation!
Last edited: