to each his own....never had an complaints with the ratio spread on mine....granted it's a stock slant 6 in front of it. acceleration is adequate to keep up with modern traffic. the 3.09/1.67/1/.73 ratios are just a touch wider spaced than the 2.74/1.45/1/.69 of a 42RH, granted you don't have the torque multiplication of a torque converter with the A833OD....
depends on how the motor is built. dual plane/longer runners, mildish cam (something in the
[email protected]) with a wider lsa and installed advanced (something like a 114* LSA installed on a 106-108* centerline) should make good power down low, and trade off some peak torque for a flatter torque curve that extends higher in the RPM range....