Audio Research

[AnotherJohnson]

FWIW, the end result of all this ARC stuff is …

Val Cora bought ARC, saving it from bankruptcy. The key personnel stayed on. But like CJ, they’re all still tube designs.

Due to the tube crisis, I started looking at and auditioning high end solid state gear so that I could conserve my store of tubes.

What I discovered of value to me was that in head to head shoot outs, as ARC beats CJ if the goal is high definition, Burmester beats ARC. I also found that the current Mcintish offerings are seriously good. Far clearer and more articulate than their vintage siblings.

So … all of my power tubes except for the ones I use in guitar amps are gone. And all of my tube gear except for the ARC Reference Phono 3SE are also gone.

My system is centered on Burmester Top Line, and it blows me away every night. I leave it powered up 24/7, and this brings a noticeable bump up in SQ too.

[admin]

I was really happy to hear that ARC landed on its feet after the financial debacle the other year. I could have seen it go another way and it would have been sad to see such a great producer of tube gear to have been lost. I'm hoping that they have a long a fruitful future with their new financial backing.

I can definitely appreciate anyone's desire to move away from tube gear. It's definitely more burdensome and expensive to simply run tubes that need to be replaced vs SS that has a much longer life span. Mix in the tube supply issues and it would cause anyone to pause before making a purchase.

The "forever on" state of many equipment is interesting. Some of the components in my system are like this as well. Apparently it does not negatively impact longevity and perhaps improves sound quality. I'll let each person's ear decide.

[AnotherJohnson]

I think debating tubes vs solid state is silly.

I can pick samples from both and one is better for one purpose and another for another.

It is far more meaningful to compare specific models, decide which you prefer, and use the one you prefer.

On the issue of whether tube or solid state has the better long term prospects … again we find that it depends on the sourcing.

I’ve been told that McIntosh now has control of their transistors. And they also appear to have the resources to corner their specific tube needs. For the long term, modern McIntosh may be the smartest choice… and because of their scale, their new gear may also have the best performance to price ratio.

As for the debate about what sounds best today that was new 30 years ago … it’s obviously of great interest to many. But it’s no longer of any interest to me. So I’ll leave that to others.