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  1. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    Bleached sound and no jump factor? That is not at all the sound I'm getting with my ARC gear.
  2. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    I think the world of CAT. Their show systems with Magico speakers sound, well, magical. Ken is a brilliant designer and a nice guy. Build quality looks exceptional. That said, Ken is asking six figures for his gear. It's probably worth it. But Audio Research offers somewhat similar sound...
  3. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    Lamm and CAT make excellent gear but are very expensive (Lamm is comparable unless you factor in power output). CAT is often a six figure purchase. Audio Research is more moderate in price but also sounds great.
  4. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    A bunch of solid state stuff and the Doshi stereo amp.
  5. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    The Ref 750 got a ton of attention when paired with Acora speakers at prior Axponas!
  6. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    As far as I can tell, it‘s viewed solidly in the upper end of vacuum tube brands like VAC and VTL.
  7. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    I believe if you heard the sound I am getting with my Audio Research gear and the Alexia Vs, you would have a higher opinion of the modern ARC sound.
  8. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    You can have a large brand following but still encounter financial challenges. Let’s give Val a chance to implement his plans.
  9. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    That’s a bit of a harsh reply given no formal announcements have been made. I also object to ARC being characterized as stale. Many of my friends who are not in the industry are very interested in the 320 for the power. Similar buzz with the new 50th Watt Puppy. But it’s early days. More...
  10. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    I think that’s where the new Ref 320 monos come in. New product, new buzz, new performance. I think Val is really keen on updating the two box flagship preamps and I have heard it is in motion.
  11. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    A few thoughts... 1. Ward's death was tragic but ARC has hired two new engineers and I'm told high quality ones. 2. The tube issue has largely gone away and Western Electric will soon be producing some 12AX7 and other tubes at their Rossville, Georgia factory. 3. Val is heavily involved in...
  12. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    I asked Val about this at the Tampa show. He says he runs Acora as a completely separate company. The dealer he is working with for shows is The Audio Company in Marietta not too far from my neighborhood. They are a VAC dealer and not an Audio Research dealer.
  13. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    All this history is true. Val very much wants to update the two-box preamps.
  14. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    Bob, this echoes a lot of the discussion I have had with Val. He is focused on the upper end of the market and on the affordable side asking for more money for things like the I/50.
  15. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    NYC rent is bananas. Andy Singer has a new by-appointment store. What about new dealers that have arrived like Next Level, House of Stereo, Bending Wave, etc.? Hifi is a niche business. I can name a hundred niche businesses that financial advisors don't mention.
  16. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    I agree with much of this but digital requires a very specialized skill set and is a different world from ARC's core skill set in designing amplifier circuits.
  17. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    Our research showed the ultra segment expanded the industry by attracting new customers.
  18. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    Likewise my Ref products (160 Stereo, 6SE line stage and 3SE phono) have been flawless.
  19. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    One more question...you state the number of devices in hifi sales is down. I was CEO at Nextscreen for a while and we never saw any valid industry wide sales numbers for high end audio. We searched high and low for this. So what source are you basing this statement on?
  20. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    One thing you are missing is the emergence of the ultra luxury customer segment. As more millionaires and billionaires have been created, the ultra segment has emerged and been a boon to the better audio manufacturers. And that in many cases has led to performance insights and improvements...
  21. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    I think what you are missing here is that it takes years to develop a new product. Val just arrived and has focused on the Ref 320 amplifiers. In my discussions with him, he believes ARC needs more flagship products. And he talks a lot about significant upgrades across the range. So that...
  22. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    yeah, this is not true. There are lot of expensive parts from tubes to capacitors to labor in putting together an Audio Research product. I’m far from rich but I am tired of people complaining about pricing without any first hand knowledge of how much it costs to produce the product or run the...
  23. Lee

    ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

    Come on. ARC has been needing a price increase for a while. They have been eating a lot of crazy increases in parts costs for a while. They remain a bargain at these prices.
  24. Lee

    How would you spend my money?

    Second subwoofer.
  25. Lee

    New Dedicated Listening Room

    Rex, Congratulations on the new land and the ability to build a dream listening room!
  26. Lee

    Axpona 2024 who is going and why?

    Sounds good. I hope to see you there!
  27. Lee

    Axpona 2024 who is going and why?

    Yes, however not everyone has the time and/or money to travel. A regional or national show helps facilitate more seat time for more people.
  28. Lee

    DCS Rossini APEX has arrived!

    Thanks, I appreciate the clarification. I guess my view of good industrial design is a bit different. I am also a huge Formula 1 fan but I find it hard to see how the front panel reflects that.
  29. Lee

    DCS Rossini APEX has arrived!

    That's sort of my point. Why no CNC design artistry ala dCS or MSB or Magico? The Wadax boxes may even be CNC'd but they are boring black crinkle finish boxes.

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