ARC VTM120 Any thoughts?

Over the years I've listened to ARC amps at a local store with Maggies, Vandersteens, Aerials, and Spendors. Have always found them a bit dry and threadbare, but I've heard the VTM120 might be a different animal - more warm and "musical" sounding. Anyone have experience with this?

Blue Book price often has nothing to do with actual sonic quality so I would not focus on this too much. What the going price has been on Audiogon would be a far more worthy indicator of their "value".

$1500 does seem a bit high considering that ARC M100 mono amps sell in the low $2k range and these along with the D115 stereo amp (which sells in the $1300-1500 range) are in a completely different league than the more budget-minded VT60/VTM120 series. And I have seen the ARC VT130 stereo amp go in the $1700 range and this is an oustanding amp that I wish I had not sold years ago. Clearly Audiofeil has little or no experience with these models as they do not at all have a "dried out presentation" that I personally would associate with the Classic series.

ARC like any other company has made some phenomenol products and a few that performed quite poorly; the LS2 and CL150 come to mind on the latter. And on the issue of Sonic Frontiers, the SFL-2 was one of the most unmusical line stages that I tried in my system some years ago.

If you're selling the VTM120's good luck. If you're looking to buy the VTM120's, I'd consider the models mentioned above if you want to stay with ARC amps. But there are so many products to consider if you're not attached to ARC.

John

It is a barking dog in the ARC product line.

>> Clearly Audiofeil has little or no experience with these models as they do not at all have a "dried out presentation" that I personally would associate with the Classic series.<<

LOL

Over the past 30 years I have owned three ARC amps:
D76A, D115 MKII, VT100 MKII (which I am still enjoying). They were all very musical and great performers. None could be characterized as "DRY" sounding.

Apparently Audiofeil is limited in his exposure to the ARC product line. ARC has made some of the great tube amps over the years. His ignorance speaks for itself.