The details of the archival grade phono stage in the Makua are described here.Consider the ardent vinyl aficionados like myself! Why would I want such a feature? Well, get this. I can set the equalization of each cartridge to hundreds of possible curves, besides RIAA. 78 rpm, Decca, etc. Read the details here.
Whither Audio Research
- Thread starter davidavdavid
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Bringing it back, my seminal audio experience as a 16 year old audio and music enthusiast was with Mike Kay at Lyric HiFi. Mike graciously presented me with the chance to experience a system consisting of Magneplanar Typhani IVs powered by tri-amplified ARC D-76,s an ARC electronic xover, and fronted by the SP-3a pre. Guess Mike figured if I was gonna be a part of this industry (now approaching 50 years and counting) I should know what great high fidelity sound was all about. Very sad news indeed for Bill Johnson's amazing ARC and those who did their best to keep his vision alive.
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Unfortunately he's also hanging out on Canuck Audio Mart under the name CinDyment. King of the Trolls.
Perhaps it would be useful to draw attention to this. People late to this thread might not see it.
If it plays out as suggested, that would be positive.
If it plays out as suggested, that would be positive.
Those were the glory days of what I would call the first Audiophile Era, with Harry Pearson (and JGH, among others). There was a golden age-- Marantz 7 tube, KlH 9 doubled, etc. but at that time it was really kind of nerdy/obscure. Today, it's different and there is a lot of competition for peoples' money at all levels.
I wasn't asking so much for a list of individuals coupled with saying "they are breaking new ground". Gary, I get that you are talking your book. Promotion from dealers and distributors is expected on this forum. I have no problem with that.
I'm curious what is the new ground being broken? Why are the products on your list considered advances over something else?
Can we just stop with the vintage vs modern for a single thread? It really doesn’t have anything to do with Audio Research in receivership.
I would not be too quick too write-off Audio Research. They have bounced around with different owners, some coming froma background, some perhaps not quite a good fit. McIntosh was a direct competitor. They have had outside people and impositions put upon them as a result of that -- management decisions no longer came out of Maple Grove, outward facing design came out of Italy. TWS LLC was created by former sales director Trent Suggs to return the company to in-house ownership but Suggs had no financial backing behind him But ARC continues with a core group. I expect them to survive. As a previous owner of multiple ARC products over the last two decades I see no reason, apart from business managment, they cannot hook-up with a financier who will let ARC be ARC.
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You interject these sorts of snarky remarks fairly often Keith -- not really a contribution and missing the mark widely Do you have anything to say about the topic you claim at hand?
Truth is this forum is basically the 1 percenters. If you cannot stand the heat get out of the kitchen. You better do some math as well one percent of 400 000 000 equals 4 million people with a very high budget more than enough to support a high end company especially when you understand all they are looking at is performance not price. The other 99 percent can go to the Sony store.
What the heck? Why not speculate about Hunter's Chinese system? Really.
Tima, addressing the question belongs outside this thread. I have a deep and abiding respect for the history of ARC and do not want to distract here. I have held the belief for the past several years that a new generation of talented designers have entered the field and will be a driving force advancing the art for years to come. I have also wanted to write about these "young lions" regardless of any involvement I may have commercially. When the time is right (likely after Munich and The Show in Irvine in June) I will start a thread and very much look forward to discussing the advances noted with you and others. Thank you for your input and a bullish outlook on ARC!
could you pm me with a definition of...never mind I'll just google it.
Google “Party before Country Family and God”
I have watched ARC change hands multiple times since WJ passed. I was saddened when the 50th anniversary came and went without a special edition pre-amp or amp, and that (for me) signaled they’d maybe lost something in the DNA. Perhaps it was a virus or some eggheads tinkering with gene sequences. I thought the REF160 amps were pretty special, and loved them with the REF10. Would love to have heard that combo with any of the three speakers I have in house, particularly the Diesis Roma.
I was very anxious when I sold the ARC kit for the Pilium, but it has proven to be an upgrade in all ways. I was told with Pilium I would not miss tubes, and I don’t miss them (ok, maybe a little, but for nostalgia more than anything.) I‘d be happy have some VAC kit, several friends have it in their systems and we demo‘d the BAYZ speakers at Axpona with VAC pre and power amps.
It is an industry / hobby driven by passionate people, and it is an exception when companies started by a passionate founder successfully evolve after the principle passes. I hope ARC can be like the phoenix. Everybody loves a comeback story.
I was very anxious when I sold the ARC kit for the Pilium, but it has proven to be an upgrade in all ways. I was told with Pilium I would not miss tubes, and I don’t miss them (ok, maybe a little, but for nostalgia more than anything.) I‘d be happy have some VAC kit, several friends have it in their systems and we demo‘d the BAYZ speakers at Axpona with VAC pre and power amps.
It is an industry / hobby driven by passionate people, and it is an exception when companies started by a passionate founder successfully evolve after the principle passes. I hope ARC can be like the phoenix. Everybody loves a comeback story.
This subject is wearing on me and this comment may be a sign of that but at the end of the day there is no evolution, no advancement of the state of the art to be had with tube amps. There is little left after gimmicks, convenience, and reliability. "Whither Audio Research" is a very clever title but can just as aptly used with "Whither Conrad-Johnson" or "Whither Manley Labs" (which credit to EveAnna does not mess with proven designs and does not play the "SE" and successive number game) or "Whither Lamm" or "Whither BAT" game. I say all this as someone who always longed for ARC and eventually, and with little regret, went all-in with ARC. I have little regret too.
Amps do sound different from one another and no perfect amp exists. I always think of Charley Hansen who only towards the end of his far-too-short life discovered that tubes do offer a magic not normally achieved with SS gear.
Like it or not this hobby of ours has a commercial industry side to it and like it or not the commercial side thrives on selling what is largely slight of hand, perception-over-reality, sell the sizzle and not the steak illusions. And.....the audio press is all too happy to dispense the news of the illusion like so many doctors selling what the pharmaceutical rep pushes.
I sense a wave toward solid state gear like CH Precision, DaRTzeel, Pilium and similar capturing the confidence game that is part and parcel of so-called critical listening over the next 6-10 years. I sense this just from going to shows and reading the press. There are many factors involved including perceived technological advances combined with ease of maintenance. As the audiophiles with money to spend slide over to a previous segment of aging demographics there are less and less inclined to believe in the "magic of tubes" or to be willing to spend time with equipment failure or maintenance.
I suspect Ralph Karsten saw this coming when he decided to advance Class D gear and he is not alone.
So yes, the much vaunted Audio Research Corporation has faced a perfect storm of adverse elements-inflation, supply chain issues, lower priced competition, a market shift away from tubed gear, and dare I say it, less consumer based adoption of the magic myth and mystery (alliteration intended) in tubes.
Amps do sound different from one another and no perfect amp exists. I always think of Charley Hansen who only towards the end of his far-too-short life discovered that tubes do offer a magic not normally achieved with SS gear.
Like it or not this hobby of ours has a commercial industry side to it and like it or not the commercial side thrives on selling what is largely slight of hand, perception-over-reality, sell the sizzle and not the steak illusions. And.....the audio press is all too happy to dispense the news of the illusion like so many doctors selling what the pharmaceutical rep pushes.
I sense a wave toward solid state gear like CH Precision, DaRTzeel, Pilium and similar capturing the confidence game that is part and parcel of so-called critical listening over the next 6-10 years. I sense this just from going to shows and reading the press. There are many factors involved including perceived technological advances combined with ease of maintenance. As the audiophiles with money to spend slide over to a previous segment of aging demographics there are less and less inclined to believe in the "magic of tubes" or to be willing to spend time with equipment failure or maintenance.
I suspect Ralph Karsten saw this coming when he decided to advance Class D gear and he is not alone.
So yes, the much vaunted Audio Research Corporation has faced a perfect storm of adverse elements-inflation, supply chain issues, lower priced competition, a market shift away from tubed gear, and dare I say it, less consumer based adoption of the magic myth and mystery (alliteration intended) in tubes.