Whither Audio Research

[Gregadd]

Respectfully I would not condemn WBF in its entirety with that view. That view seems to be limited to Gregadd and a subgroup of WBF, not WBF itself.

tonearm
Ron, Ron Ron,
I recall when I heard a system with ARC SP6, ARC D79 Kenwood KD5.00 turntable, SME tonearm, British cartridge (I can't remember) JR mini speakers. finally I knew what the high end was about.
IMO Harry Pearson and William Johnson built the high end. The SP3x,, SP6x andSP11 were the benchmark to shoot at. Unfortunately, time waits for no man.
Consider this story.
Three brothers had taken over a movie theater from their deceased father. After awhile, the theater was suffering financially. Thier solution was to make the seats more comfortable. After much debate they could not agree on what fabric to cover the seats. Fabric with.
An older gentleman after listening for awhile, offered this comment.
Forget about the fabric. The way to save the theater is to cover the seats with asses.

 

[Another Johnson]

tonearm
Ron, Ron Ron,
I recall when I heard a system with ARC SP6, ARC D79 Kenwood KD5.00 turntable, SME tonearm, British cartridge (I can't remember) JR mini speakers. finally I knew what the high end was about.
IMO Harry Pearson and William Johnson built the high end. The SP3x,, SP6x andSP11 were the benchmark to shoot at. Unfortunately, time waits for no man.
Consider this story.
Three brothers had taken over a movie theater from their deceased father. After awhile, the theater was suffering financially. Thier solution was to make the seats more comfortable. After much debate they could not agree on what fabric to cover the seats. Fabric with.
An older gentleman after listening for awhile, offered this comment.
Forget about the fabric. The way to save the theater is to cover the seats with asses.

You keep digging in deeper and deeper. Better to quit, even if not ahead.

Omniscient but with no actual dog in the hunt. Remembers one of the dog’s ancient ancestors.

Anxiously awaiting days when Ref 10 and Ref750sel can be found in thrift shop for $3.50 each (aren’t we all?). Wonders if they’ll drive the Bose 901s. Answer is “Yes, but why?”

Sigh …

I still want a look in that crystal ball. Nuthin’ to see here … move along …

 

[Gregadd]

OK maybe I am being opaque. I definitely want Audio Research to survive? revive? I just don't see it happening on the current path.
I am sorry I am not saying what people want to hear.
i had bowed out until my name was mentioned.

 

[Another Johnson]

OK maybe I am being opaque. I definitely want Audio Research to survive? revive? I just don't see it happening on the current path.
I am sorry I am not saying what people want to hear.
i had bowed out until my name was mentioned.

You’re not on the current path. Cora is. That’s the whole point.

 

[Gregadd]

You’re not on the current path. Cora is. That’s the whole point.

That does not make any sense. Like I said don't mention my name and I am out. the only reason I came back was to post an article I ran across. I will not do that again. Let me know when your fantasy comes true.

 

[Lee]

In my opinion, it is difficult to speculate on what the future holds for Audio Research. We just don’t have all the data in front of us for anything but speculation. We don’t know what people adds Val will do, we don‘t have data on financial statements and product margins, and we don’t have any organized views from their dealers.

On the negative side, economic conditions are not great. On the positive side, Val is a successful business man, he did not inherit any debt, and with good engineering they could soon offer a nice product slate which will include the Ref 320 mono amps.

I love the product and think the sound quality is truly excellent and a bit of a bargain among the better gear. I really want them to succeed and thrive. I think the rich heritage and current talent pool are likely to be energized by Val And team.

 

[microstrip]

In my opinion, it is difficult to speculate on what the future holds for Audio Research. We just don’t have all the data in front of us for anything but speculation. We don’t know what people adds Val will do, we don‘t have data on financial statements and product margins, and we don’t have any organized views from their dealers.

On the negative side, economic conditions are not great. On the positive side, Val is a successful business man, he did not inherit any debt, and with good engineering they could soon offer a nice product slate which will include the Ref 320 mono amps.

I love the product and think the sound quality is truly excellent and a bit of a bargain among the better gear. I really want them to succeed and thrive. I think the rich heritage and current talent pool are likely to be energized by Val And team.

Yes, it is very hard to speculate at this moment. I would however point to two favorable aspects - the long list of interested people in getting them can be interpreted as a sign that many people thing they will succeed and the international distributor/dealer network of audio research. They have solid implantation in many countries, headed by trusted people with large experience and a solid customer base. Believe me, the high-end is not just the US ...

 

[tima]

In my opinion, it is difficult to speculate on what the future holds for Audio Research. We just don’t have all the data in front of us for anything but speculation. We don’t know what people adds Val will do, we don‘t have data on financial statements and product margins, and we don’t have any organized views from their dealers.

I agree. What we don't know were the specific causes of the financial issues. And as Lee noted the economy has not been the best.

I have no inside information. I'll speculate there were business decisions made related to going down-market that didn't pay off. Just a guess. The past several years of show demos I was seeing colored amplifiers with fancy displays and nice looking tubes, but I was not hearing about leaps in sonic achievement. The last time I was genuinely impressed with an ARC amplifier was with the 250SE. Continual incremental upgrades started to turn people off -- imo, the SE models should have been the primary introduction, not a two-step intro then 2 years later the SE version.

I hope they focus on the high-end, advancing the state-of-the-art and allow the dedicated people still there who were a big part of their success continue doing what they did.

 

[Another Johnson]

The last time I was genuinely impressed with an ARC amplifier was with the 250SE.

I moved the Ref 250SE into my main system last November and have really enjoyed it with several speakers and sources.

Because of tube life issues and the scarcity of KT150s, I decided last week to install the Ref 75SE instead. I’ve got 20 KT150s as spares. That’s a potential of 15000 hours of listening on the 75SE, but only a bit over 3000 hours of listening on the 250SEs.

I was not sure I would be able to suffer the compromise … but after about 20 hours of listening, I am actually enjoying the 75SE beyond my hopes and expectations.

The bass, which I was sure would disappoint, is not disappointing at all. Patricia Barber’s “Use Me” cut from her Companion album is a good bass reference and the 75SE presents it well. But where it is most surprisingly better in my system is in midrange and treble detail, and separation.

Warren Gehl remarked to MF (iirc) that he thought that the Ref 75SE was serendipitously special. I have to agree.

FWIW, the speakers are Sasha DAWs, the preamp is a Ref 6SE, and the interconnects and cables are AQ Thunderbird Zeros. Sources for these 20 hours have been a Levinson 5101 (CD and SACD), McIntosh MCT500 into a dCS Rossini DAC (CD), and for streaming Amazon to Bluesound Node (BluOS) to McIntosh MDA200, and Qobuz to dCS Rossini with Mossaic or Roon in control.

 

[Another Johnson]

And one other point in favor of the REF75SE is that each tube can be biased separately. This is huge. On the other ARC amps I’ve owned, more than one tube shares the bias circuit. On the 250 for example, you set V1 and V3 and V5 aren’t separately adjustable, so you get what you get. Similarly V2 bias is the default setting for V4 and V6. That’s why tube matching is so important for ARC gear.

The 75 allows individual tube adjustments, just like CJ gear.

 

[Argonaut]

Warren Gehl remarked to MF (iirc) that he thought that the Ref 75SE was serendipitously special. I have to agree.

If not already considered as such, I feel that the Ref 75SE will come to be regarded as a singular classic in the long line of ARC amplification.

 

[Lee]

I agree. What we don't know were the specific causes of the financial issues. And as Lee noted the economy has not been the best.

I have no inside information. I'll speculate there were business decisions made related to going down-market that didn't pay off. Just a guess. The past several years of show demos I was seeing colored amplifiers with fancy displays and nice looking tubes, but I was not hearing about leaps in sonic achievement. The last time I was genuinely impressed with an ARC amplifier was with the 250SE. Continual incremental upgrades started to turn people off -- imo, the SE models should have been the primary introduction, not a two-step intro then 2 years later the SE version.

I hope they focus on the high-end, advancing the state-of-the-art and allow the dedicated people still there who were a big part of their success continue doing what they did.

You just need to hear my Ref 160 Stereo. It is fantastic.

 

[kach22i]

(Great) Audio Research News!​

June 21, 2023 Michael Lavorgna

(Great) Audio Research News! - Twittering Machines

Michael Lavorgna's Twittering Machines: HiFi with a twist

twitteringmachines.com

Press Release: Audio Research purchased by AR Tube Audio Corporation, a privately owned
Delaware Corporation.


Minneapolis, Minnesota (June 20, 2023)

Acora Acoustics | Monumental Loudspeakers | Canada

Loudspeakers | Acora Acoustics | Monumental | Granite | Quartzite | Gemstone| Monumental

www.acoraacoustics.com

And as reported elsewhere.

Audio Research Acquired by AR Tube Audio Corporation

After struggling with ownership issues, Audio Research has announced its acquisition by AR Tube Audio Corporation.

www.cepro.com

June 21, 2023 Facebook post:

Audio Research

Audio Research. 28,009 likes · 84 talking about this. Manufacturer of high-performance vacuum tube audio electronics since 1970. Hand-built in the USA for music lovers and audio enthusiasts.

www.facebook.com

More legal details:

Audio Research Corp Begins Its Next Chapter as AR Tube Audio Corporation

In a District Court hearing on Tuesday to determine the final disposition of the Audio Research Corp its sale to Acora Acoustics was approved

www.strata-gee.com

 

[Ron Resnick]

Please enjoy this interview with Valerio Cora, CEO of Audio Research Corporation:

 

[Chorus]

He does not inspire much hope that ARC will survive in the long haul.
He may need some of that black magic.

 

[Tuckers]

Please enjoy this interview with Valerio Cora, CEO of Audio Research Corporation:

Thanks for publishing this!

 

[Another Johnson]

This was a pretty hard hitting interview, and Cora handled it well.

Note that, contrary to post 535’s assertion, Cora has indicated that the new ownership has more than adequate cash reserves so they won’t be relying on debt, that new products are in the pipeline, that there have been several new hires, that the employees are hyper engaged, and that he has great expectations.

As Cora points out, any company can fail unexpectedly. Business conditions are fickle. ARC has been given a lifeline. There is every reason to expect the personnel there to grab it and advance. An unconsummated near death experience is one of the greatest stimulants toward more than casual new life.

 

[Gregadd]

what was he suppose to say? Again what is is the source of this cash?

 

[Another Johnson]

what was he suppose to say? Again what is is the source of this cash?

Deep pockets

 

[Gregadd]

OK. I'll take the leap of faith.