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A civil discussion about the state of Audio Research

I invested considerable time yesterday expressing my thoughts as to the current state of Audio Research as a company from the standpoint of quality (positive) and customer service (negative) only to have the entire thread censored/deleted by the mods.
For the small subsection of this Country’s population that are home audio enthusiasts, Audio Research is an iconic brand. Moreso than any other company, AR was the torchbearer for tubes when the rest of the amp manufacturers were turning to solid state. Further, though there were a few duds here and there, I am hard-pressed to think of any other company that has made as many legendary models of amps and preamps that have withstood the test of time (imho only Krell, Spectral, and CJ come to mind and present era super-brands such as CH and DarTZeel lack the history necessary).
My point yesterday is that AR’s acquisition by a parent company has resulted in a dilution of brand identity-similar to when Volvo was acquired by Ford between ’99 and ’10 and suddenly cross pollination of parts and assembly took place. My second point is that unlike the car industry, audio is a niche industry and to refuse to interact with customers directly and to instead insist that the customer go through the local dealer is inexcusable. I think we would mostly agree that when one tries to call AT&T about one’s cable and internet service only to get a computer interface and then eventually a clueless third-party intermediary who barely speaks English in India, the entire experience is frustrating and inadequate. I have news (apparently) for the parent company of AR; the present system is not altogether different from getting a clueless intermediary in some remote country who can not really help you.
My local AD is not a top-notch audio salon. They don’t stock a single piece of AR gear in their showroom and primarily cater to home theater. They have one salesperson who has a history of owning AR gear and he only works part-time. More importantly, based on other accounts, I have no confidence that if I experience a catastrophic problem AR will treat me with respect and take care of me. I have heard nothing but the opposite. The human touch is gone. My local Devore dealer, a nationally respected one-man shop dealer-used to carry AR and thanks to several awful experiences since the take-over dropped AR and now sells VTL instead.
I am hoping that this thread results in a CIVIL and appropriate, mostly intelligent discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of AR and AR's future. If the mods wish to delete this post as well, fine, but I want a forum to post my concerns about AR and if this one won’t accommodate me, I will find another.
Again, for the record, I am the original owner of a Ref 6 and Ref 150SE and therefor have ~$30,000 invested in my amp and pre alone. A paltry sum by the standards of some, but not paltry to me.
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Showing 5 responses by fsonicsmith

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fsonicsmith OP
931 posts
 
I wish to apologize-and do so humbly-to the excellent mods for using the "C"-word (censorship) as it was totally uncalled for. I am often surprised by the threads that remain unfettered on this Board-the mods have proven their tolerance and restraint. Further, in light of Almarg’s excellent post, for all I know the OP deleted the thread.
Now on to Cleeds; did you not read my appeal for civility? To label a complete stranger with the patronizing term of "buyer’s remorse" is not only uncivil but it is incorrect in my case. I have owned my two ARC pieces for two years and am nothing but proud and happy to own them.
Those of us who own current-production ARC gear know that ARC has adopted the KT150 as their workhorse power tube. They emphasize that for best results and reliability we should buy replacement KT150’s from them, at fairly ridiculous pricing, to ensure proper tube matching and longevity. They claim that they put batches of KT150’s through a rigorous testing process that no other supplier can match. I sent not one, not two, but three emails to ARC inquiring as to an octet of back-up KT150’s six months ago, each email spaced two weeks apart, and was never graced with the courtesy of a response. Now they seem to know what they are talking about as I had one very well respected tube dealer-Jim McShane-tell me that he no longer sells KT150’s because the Tungsol factory is putting out so many crap tubes that he can no longer supply the customer with a reliable tube. With ARC not responding to me I felt compelled to pay more than a thousand bucks with someone else for an octet. They remain in their original shipping box and only time will tell if I invested well. Can you now see why I am somewhat frustrated?
As to dilution and cross-pollination with other brands, I happen to be of the belief that the new mono bloc amps are garish and smack of McIntosh with their oversized meters dominating the faceplate. YMMV. 
fsonicsmith's avatar
fsonicsmith OP
931 posts
 
With ARC going to autobias, the tube matching issues will only be a problem for the existing user base. Everyone hears differently and prefers what they prefer. With this caveat, the kt150 has a superior sound signature to the 6550, kt88, kt90 and kt120. The shortcomings of each of those tubes have been overcome in the kt150. Let the flames begin....
I will again repeat, I want a civil and appropriate discussion. No flames here (from me) and hopefully none from anybody else. But then again, your post does smack of perhaps being a troll (-: 
I am in the camp that believes that sound signatures are inevitable and a good thing in moderation. I never much liked the KT120 but there are 6550's, KT88's and KT90's that have a subtle "glow within" quality in the midrange that imo the KT150's lack. I happen to enjoy a slightly burnished midrange added to human voice, saxophone, and stringed instruments. The KT150's are unexcelled in slam/dynamics, frequency extension, and neutrality. Which brings to mind, why pay for the expense of tubes if it is only going to sound like solid state? The Ref6 preamp, as I stated in the deleted thread, lends a holographic, wide open and 3D soundstage that I have never heard in any solid state pre. It is a bit artificial but I am happy to have it. 
On top of the KT150's solid state-like neutrality and expense, there is another glaring problem; only one manufacturer makes the tube and that manufacturer has demonstrated significant problems with quality control.  Perhaps not only will someone influential at ARC read this post but Mike Matthews as well., Wishful thinking. 
fsonicsmith's avatar
fsonicsmith OP
931 posts
 
Thread drift from my own post but; I ended up buying from Tyler and Chelsea of TCtubes. 
This is what Tyler had to say about the KT150;
I avoid most QC issues by paying extra for tubes tested and matched by New Sensor. This costs me more on the front end but I don't get the rejects that they screen out. I don't rely on their matching. I order batches all from the most desirable range of tubes for the type I'm interested in. They are supposed to send me all closely matched tubes in the quantity I've ordered. I then retest those tubes and match them into sets using my own methods. In the end, I run the tube sets under the operating conditions they will be seeing in the amplifier that the customer has. In your case, most ARC amps run around 420-430v plate and screen and draw about 65mA per tube. I set the tubes up under these conditions and verify that they are matched at those voltages before shipping. 

If I see problems with tubes as I go through this process I simply return them. This pattern is time intensive and cumbersome, but I don't get hardly any returns on power tubes as a result. 

Most tube resellers will buy the tubes in larger quantities and in untested condition. They will end up with a range from about 70% of expected values to over 200% of expected values. I will not play that game anymore. Too many rejects for the factory to take back. Paying them for screening on the front end saves me time and hassle in the end. My customers get tubes screened three times (once by New Sensor, once in my initial tests on the AT1000 testers, and finally in a matching fixture at actual operating voltages for end user's application) and much better matched than otherwise possible.

Tyler
I have Jim McShane's post but won't repeat what he had to say for fear that he would prefer that I keep it private. Having just re-read it, he did say that he plans to revisit the KT150 at a later time in hopes that the QC has improved.\
I have a long history of buying tubes from Kevin Deal of Upscale with mostly good but not universally good results. 
Bringing this back to ARC, one of the few times that I DID get a response from ARC was when I wrote them inquiring if it was possible to use 6550s, KT88's or KT90's in my Ref150SE. I mentioned that my Devore dealer thought that those tubes were a better match for my Devore O/93's. I received a very curt response that my dealer (they knew his identity because I referenced him my name in my inquiry) "was an idiot" (verbatim) and that I "would be foolish to listen to him" and that there was no conceivable reason to use any tube other than the KT150 in my amp. 
fsonicsmith's avatar
fsonicsmith OP
931 posts
 
The beauty of having clearthink join your discussion is that it is amazingly easy to diplomatically remain silent. 
Everyone knows his act by now. 
Someone mentioned a "jester" already. 
fsonicsmith's avatar
fsonicsmith OP
931 posts
 
I want to say a hearty thank-you to Jeff Haagenstad of Exogal for putting his perspective into this topic. I appreciate the positive comments. But why not address the questions that remain unanswered; who is going to replace Ward Fiebiger with engineering of progressively better sounding designs? How is ARC going to dispel attempts by McIntosh to save money by sharing parts, designs, assembly processes and even circuits? I am NOT emotionally tied to ARC. I am not like that 65 year old Chevy Corvette fanatic who walks around with a Corvette ball cap and leather jacket at all times in public and has owned eight brand new Vettes. I am happy to switch to something else. I might. History teaches us that ARC’s future is tenuous at best save an independent buy-out/break-out. Will the factory remain in it’s original location during the next five years? I would be shocked.
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