Audio Research comparison

AKnorth:

The orginal LS25 is the MKI.

Thanks

Blues_man:

A RefII and VT200 is an awesome combo. Why would you want to upgade?

Another approach to ARC's philosophy....when making substantial upgrades they keep the customer informed, whereas with BAT you do not know which iteration of their product you are purchasing. Does this not make ARC's products easier to price on the resale market ?

I have an SP9 Mk II, which I have owned (trouble-free) for the last 10 years, and am lusting over the VT100.

Well I am probably going to get some heat for the following comments but feel I am entitled to make them since I am a BIG ARC fan and have owned and still do several of their products.

I believe they are on the cutting edge of tube designs. I ALSO believe that their continual upgrading is more about making changes in sound than real changes in sonic performance. Certainly their Reference products (which I have heard) represent an inprovement over their previous products. My guess is that their upgrades are very calculated and designed to keep their customers always wanting for the latest and "best". But in reality many of their upgrades are less improvements than differences. Just one man's opinion, but then again there is quite a variety of opinion on this matter as noted above. I mean the LS-5 is a great sounding pre-amp and an older design. Is there any in their stable other than their reference models maybe, that are better? Playing to the neurosis of audiophiles is my take.

The reason I have been considering upgrading my Ref2 VT200 combo is because there has been a lot of hype about how good the upgraded models are. I like the all tube gear and wanted an idea of how adding solid state inputs to their products would affect the sound. I'm sure there is improved bass and better dynamics, but is the sound really better? If they only changed the tubes, I would probably just do the upgrade, but adding transistors, I have to do some serious listening before I make any upgrades.