ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

[Lee]

i've said nothing negative about ARC performance......only commented on the general relevance. from the outside looking in. is ARC in the audiophile consciousness in the way it might want to be?

my expectation is that the right current ARC electronics could be central to an outstanding system. like yours. but who realizes that?

and that is the issue.

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

 

[caesar]

Waiting on the reviews of the new models... anticipating When Harry Met Sally types of orgasms from the Wilson reviewers like Fremer and the meek, milquetoast Jason Victor Sirinous

But will Arc become their reference gear? Doubt it!

Will their new gear be able to drive Wilson with authority and beitzim? Doubt it

Will the CH Precision guys trade in their gear for ARC to drive their Magicos, despite Valin's (likely upcoming) orgiastic review? Doubt it

Good luck to Arc, none the less

 

[Mike Lavigne]

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

glad you are happy, won't beat this dead horse any more.....i made my point.

 

[tima]

who is excited about this? who is talking about this? do we see anyone asking questions about it? or listing it as a targeted product?

i've seen and heard zippo about it. nada. ziltch.

I'm thinking discussion of the 320 amp goes back to 2022, so it is not a super hot topic today, but I sense some excitement for it. Positive ARC 'excitement' has been somewhat dimmed with the company going in and out of receivership as well as this notice of a price increase. People are talking about the company besides just here.

I'm wondering if ARC has found a replacement for Ward Fiebiger who was WZJ's right hand man, Senior Design Engineer, and led design work for much of the higher-end linestages and phonostages in this century and before. He passed in 2017. And talent such as his is hard to find and keep. I have not seen innovation in those electronics since his untimely death. Today the Reference 10 linestage and Ref 10 phonostage (owned both for five yrs.) remain their top models -- and they've been there for roughly 10 years. I'm not saying they are past their prime; they are top notch components. But from a marketing perspective and who is talking about what, they had their day in the sun.

Wrt the 'cult' topic, I think it was strongly trus several years back and vestiges of that are still with us. That was when Audio Research and Conrad Johnson -- the silver and the gold -- batled it out for your audiophile soul with Harry Pearson as referee. Later, there was excitement with the Ref 2, 2se, 5, 5se, Ref 40 Anniversary, Ref 10s, and the 3, 3se, and 6, 6se. But for a company no stranger to market churn, it's been awhile -- what have you done for me lately?

 

[tima]

they sold them to some american dude, who lost the company due to bankrupcy, which was then acquired by the canadian stone-speaker dude

My memory is not perfect, hmm... could you be a bit more specific, dude.

 

[caesar]

My memory is not perfect, hmm... could you be a bit more specific, dude.

Too many guys to keep track of.

 

[retired farmer]

Has arc ever entered into the car stereo market as the high end option in a top line car brand?

 

[retired farmer]

Why did the other hifi companies do that?

 

[Another Johnson]

Has arc ever entered into the car stereo market as the high end option in a top line car brand?

No. Their commitment to tubes would make this difficult here in the 21st Century. Also they are just plain too small. JBL, Bose, Krell, Levinson, McIntosh, Burmester, and perhaps some others were/are all large enough and focused on solid state … most even having expertise in speaker design. ARC has always stuck to making the best two channel audio for home use.

 

[KeithR]

i do agree that change for the sake of change (serving dealer churn $$$) is not typically end user friendly. it lowers resale and results in a degree of change fatigue from customers. my darts look like the first versions from 2003 (108), 2005 (18NS), and 2010 (458/468)....yet still tic many boxes below).

flagship products need to be aspirational. in other words, there needs to some sort of buzz, demand, presence, respect and awareness. part of being a flagship is the damn flag being real and active. might be even some sort of mystery about it. but something alive and kicking.

aspirational products command attention. talk about them castes a halo.

been a decade since the biggest ARC products tics any of those boxes. the only thing i hear is how hot they get and how many tubes need to be freshened now and then. but it's not on anyone's radar to acquire. no mystery either. which has little to do with actual performance. i'm sure the REF750 still plays at a high level. but it's not providing excitement and attraction to the brand.

Agree, and funny people complained about ARCs “mk2…mk3…” philosophy for years. Churn was the norm.

I think the Ref75 generated more buzz (and better sound) than the 750.

I also don’t think 32 tube amps are wanted by the market anymore as SS has become so much more competitive. Also, there are a number of opinions that the 750s sounded worse than the lower monos.

 

[KeithR]

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.

Just curious what else have you tried, Lee ?

 

[Lee]

Agree, and funny people complained about ARCs “mk2…mk3…” philosophy for years. Churn was the norm.

I think the Ref75 generated more buzz (and better sound) than the 750.

I also don’t think 32 tube amps are wanted by the market anymore as SS has become so much more competitive. Also, there are a number of opinions that the 750s sounded worse than the lower monos.

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

 

[Lee]

Just curious what else have you tried, Lee ?

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

 

[brad225]

This is typical of the large number of ill-informed kibitzers at WBF. They come out of the woodwork to bash some products. Ancient ownership history is trotted at as proof of current knowledge.

If ARC fails, it will be due to their continued commitment to tubes that are politically incorrect for Western markets. This is the reason I’ve moved away from them.

ARC pricing is just catching up to their main competitors. In this odd world, they still look quite reasonably priced to me.

Did you really move away from them because tubes are politically incorrect?

 

[Another Johnson]

Did you really move away from them because tubes are politically incorrect?

I don’t know how many people misunderstood this.

The relevant power and driver tubes are made in an American owned factory in Russia.

What do you think the West’s current position is on buying things from Russia?

I’ve moved on because the tube supply chain is in a precarious state, and the prospects for this changing are, in my opinion, slim. YMMV

 

[Another Johnson]

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

It is well known that Mr. Cora (or, as Caesar refers to him “the stone speaker dude) has been an ARC aficionado. The Ref 750 se has been part of his personal collection.

If anyone has an interest in advancing ARC’s performance, it is he.

If the tube boat rights itself before the end of my need, I will reconsider. To my ears the current ARC reference lineup is best tube gear available. And compared to other sonic peers, ARC is value priced.

 

[WillBthr]

When I see words like "cult" interjected in a discussion combined with the statement of facts with no actual experience and the marketing majors... I get confused and think I must be on the forums at that other site with "Science" in the name. I came here to avoid that type of "cult".

To point to a few very recent reviews and listings, perhaps missed by the "No Buzz" crowd:
_________________________________________________________________________________
March 15, 2024
Stereophile 2024 Recommended Components
Preamplifiers - Claas A
Audio Research Reference 6SE

March 15, 2024
Stereophile 2024 Recommended Components
Phono Preamplifiers - Class A
Audio Research Reference 3SE Phono

https://www.stereophile.com/content/recommended-components-2024-edition

__________________________________________________________________________________
March 15, 2024
The Absolute Sound 2024 Recommended Products Over $10,000:
Audio Research REF 6SE
Audio Research REF 160M MKII

February 22, 2024
The Absolute Sound Review (video):
Audio Research REF160M MKII

__________________________________________________________________________________

 

[Djcxxx]

The audiophile equivalent of electrochemical neutrality. Fanboy devotion balances hater animus.

 

[caesar]

Has arc ever entered into the car stereo market as the high end option in a top line car brand?

Tube amplification in a car? Very niche audiophile market

 

[caesar]

It is well known that Mr. Cora (or, as Caesar refers to him “the stone speaker dude) has been an ARC aficionado. The Ref 750 se has been part of his personal collection.

If anyone has an interest in advancing ARC’s performance, it is he.

If the tube boat rights itself before the end of my need, I will reconsider. To my ears the current ARC reference lineup is best tube gear available. And compared to other sonic peers, ARC is value priced.

I don't doubt your claim that the new guy cares. (Although I think that the Ref 750 SUCKS!! , as it can't drive neither wilsons nor Sinus fibers with Beitzim, instead producing a warm, fuzzy, hi-fi drek sound. Doesn't give me confidence in the new guy's taste. And many dealers carry arc and solid state competitors, and obviously people are choosing solid state as arc went bankrupt.)

Yet I don't think many folks want Arc to fail. Although, in reality, many guys in this hobby could care less - one way or another. Kind of like, how many people care that RCA no longer makes TVs? Or you can't buy toys at Toys R Us?

But other than nostalgia, what is special or unique about Arc?

Take Lamm for example. Vladimir Lamm was a genius whose designs can conjure up humanity out of the most hifi drek, sterile speakers. And when his lower powered amps are mated with proper speakers, it's goosebump and chills inducing realism!

And take CAT as another example, when Wolf was showing off his new S3 speaker at last Axpona, he chose CAT for its natural presentation and "drive anything" design.

I know the CH precision and pillium people were crying like a 4 year old who had to put her bunny away, but the Wolfster wasn't taking any chances with the S3 coming across sterile with those brands in its debut!!!

So can anyone answer what is unique about arc these days? How is ARc different than, say RCA, kodak, or blockbuster?