Crazy. If I did not have an all Audio Research system, I would be a buyer. Audio Research, in my opinion makes the most musical sounding equipment on the market today. Which is why my system is full of it (see my system under my USRID).
I was happy when Trent bought Audio Research a couple years ago. His vision was to strengthen the brand. When I brought up the cheap plastic remote the first thing he did was to promise me good quality metal remotes for the equipment I already bought. He immediately went out to developed a new metal remote because their previous supplier stopped making them. He instantly understood that it was the right thing to do. He understands the high end market.
A friend of mine spoke to Dave Gordon of ARC on Friday. They will have a new owner by the end of the month.
Hopefully the new owner will treat Audio Research with the respect it deserves and will preserve the incredible legacy of inovation and dedication to high fidelity repreduction of music. A tradition maintained by only a few companies like ARC, Conrad Johnson, VAC, and Pass.
I hope they work on bringing more beauty and warmth to their sound. It seems they keep going in the direction of sterile clarity and have forgotten the beauty of music.
When I first read that they (ARC) had gone into receivership, my knee jerk reaction was to sell my LS28SE and gather whatever it would bring and buy something else. Then I realized that I loved the sound of this piece and it works just fine, why jump out of a perfectly good plane as the saying goes. Surely if they don’t bounce back with new owners, there will always be repair shops. And that would only matter if it broke. Although I have not been a big ARC customer, my experience has been great, as if I were a factory-hold name, when it came to service. And a shout out to to Mr Dave Gordon mentioned above, he has been a jewel to work with through the years. But I wanted a picture of him as a memento, then I found one, in the dictionary of all places, under Perfect Gentleman.
If Mr Gordon says they will have new owners, I will take that to the bank. This company is too damned good to go anywhere but forward.
Audio Research has been around since 1970, and managed to weather every economic storm we’ve seen in the United States since then. I can’t speak to the company’s newer gear because I have never heard it. However, years ago I owned an ARC D70MKII and an SP3 preamplifier. They sounded great, were well made, and as tube gear goes, reliable. As I recall, their circuit designs were straight forward, which made them fairly easy to repair. Not sure about parts availability these days though; especially with Covid related supply chain issues.
Dealers are about BUSINESS. Clearing out ARC now rather than later is probably good business. Not to mention, it makes space for other available equipment in their showrooms.
I wonder about warranty coverage:
recently purchased still within warranty period
current demos (demos are like open box) initial sales date usually gets full warranty from that date. Promises might not be kept by new ARC owners if that occurs.
buy NOS now? buy NOS later?
Existing ARC Owner: IF you were thinking you might go for something else before the announcement: soon or after/if inflation calms down, then what?
It’s getting old, will there be authorized service? Parts?
IF you want max resale price, now or wait till market might get flooded with ARC, much better/newer/less use than yours?
btw, Steve at VAS has some nice ARC pieces he will sell (if you ask him, he doesn’t advertise them). I wonder what he thinks.
I remember when Sonic Frontiers was going away, I had just bought much of their top of the line equipment and I didn't know if they were going to bought out or just close their doors. My Sonic Frontiers equipment was exceptional, and I kept it and upgraded all of it over the next 25 years.
When I was looking to replace my SF equipment I wanted something just as neutral in tube equipment, I now I have a REF 6SE, Am I worried, no. does it sound spectacular, yes! Will I hold on to this preamp for another 25 years, probably not I am not sure I will live that long.
But I do wish AR the best, I hope they survive this turmoil and come out even stronger.
If you were a dealer is there any certainty that under the renewed ARC you would continue to be a dealer? If they really don't know the answer, then they should reduce their inventory now rather than later. And that's assuming they assume ARC will survive. This has nothing to do with how great the ARC products sound.
In addition to the question of continued authorization to continue selling the brand, and the goodwill associated with being an "Authorized Dealer" a dealer may be concerned about the cost of warranty coverage if the company does NOT continue. Often there are good business reasons for a retailer to honor and pick up the warranty costs for products they have sold if a particular manufacturer is no longer able to. That could be a significant expense if they do not have an in-house repair facility for that particular brand. There is also the common psychology surrounding businesses in distress and being associated with them.
Buyers may look for similar uncertainties with EVERY brand you sell and shy away from your storefront. Perhaps very unfair and even unwise, but not unusual. I have been involved in retail sales and management since 1966 and can even recall one store owner who would initially not carry a line because of how the brand name sounded! Over 50 years later the brand is still around, but unfortunately that small chain of stores isn't.
In a market as subjective as this one, reading the tea leaves has always been an inexact science. Who in the late 90's would have predicted the CD, and all the hardware needed to get the best from that medium, would soon see a decline as steep and total as it had risen?
Bottom Line - If YOU like the sound, keep enjoying it until you find something you feel suits you better. Equipment ages (especially capacitors), and people age (especially their ears), and there will always be something new. Enjoy what you have while it works well, and keep an open mind about what the future holds!
I personally am not seeing a lot of ARC product showing up for sale. I do not think anybody who owns and sells it are dumping the brand. That does not mean there are not issues. One of my Hi-Fi haunts did stop selling the product. Reasons given was lack of recognition of who they are, compounded by it being too expensive. So, people in that seller’s area passed on it and bought something from McIntosh instead. The second is the modern tube sound. 160m is an amp that has pristine voicing, a lot of people found it to be too analytical and sterile. I think that has been addressed with the new 160m mkII. The stereo 160 and 80 are reported to be more natural and organic sounding.
ARC has never been a company that designs their amps to be velvety and lush. Those that are looking for that I think are investing into something different. IMHO, I think they gone a little too far with emulating the accuracy of a solid-state amps, would like to see them allow a little romance back into their house sound. Like I remember the earlier models had. What is interesting is that they are not the only historic brand that does this. The current version of McIntosh 275 does not sound like the ones that were first released. They too are more accurate sounding versus sweet.
I agree with @ideal8592 I will be pleased to take any ARC off of any of you if you want to dump it in my lap.
From what I have seen, the prices are holding pretty well--at least they are mostly above what I can afford. I did see a VT-100 up the road from me that is reasonable...I will give the owner a call.
Anyone wants to "dump" a pair of 610's or 750's on me for a few bucks, or a working D-150, give me a shout!
I wonder what Audio Research's agreement with audio dealers has as requirements. I have seen my favorite store selling ARC demos AND they are selling demo equipment for VTL, Linn, Moon and others.
I wonder if the sales are based on guidance for equipment on display, pricing guidance or product lifecycle considerations.
I suspect if Audio Research goes under(not a sure thing) given their reputation over decades their gear will be looked at and valued like the old Marantz gear, the ones made before Saul Marantz was forced to sell the company.
I switched to all ARC gear less than a year ago and wish I had done so several upgrades back. The idea of "flipping" this equipment has not crossed my mind since the news and I really can't imagine wanting anything more (I know, famous last words.)
Of note is one shabby email I received from a dealer who really slagged my ARC setup. He sent me a note about the receivership and then proceeded to tell me about the "truly superior" brand he represents. I guess some people think a negative sales approach works, but not for me, especially since he is now in my block sender list!
Uh, where do you see people "dumping" their ARC gear? Pls share with us? Its not on Agon, and it's not on any other site I visit either. Let me know if you see someone "dumping" their Reference 150 SE or REF 5 SE pls, I'll pay you a finders fee.
I'm a close watcher of the brand and it's secondary market. I'm seeing neither greater selling nor price reductions on the ask. I'm sure the bid is down- bidders use bad news to beat down the price.
One thing that concerns me is repairs/upgrades. It is 8 months to get into the ARC cue for a refresh or a repair. An owner who wants his Reference unit certified by ARC has a LONG wait before he has his baby working again. Let's say that same guy needs to sell his let's say Ref 5SE but he had JoBloStereo do some repairs. A prudent buyer would discount the unit. Now it's a $2500 preamp and not a 5K preamp. That will indeed depress prices.
I "inherited" a VT130 that was blowing up screening resistors. ARC put me in line last August and I'm STILL waiting for the RMA from Mr.Christenson. Now if I HAD to sell it (death divorce debt) it's not a 3K amp it's a 1K amp. Maybe a $500 amp.
There is always the panic seller- and the almost out of warranty seller. And the broke seller. All these guys depress value. That's the way the free market works.
There have been a few videos outing AR build quality toss that in with the financial issues and I don't blame anyone for dumping them. If wanting AR buy older AR.
Have all ARC gear and not letting it go anywhere. Not fancy ARC gear but older and still supported by ARC. When I heard the news, I was looking for deals to maybe upgrade.
I have an ARC SP11 MkII and a VS110. Neither of them are going anywhere.
ARC's reputation for quality and durability rather speaks for itself. There aren't many brands that are so sought after on the aftermarket... And should the worst happen, and ARC sinks, their gear is serviceable by competent techs. Schematics are easily available on-line.
Not sure where you are getting your information. Several insiders have posted here and on other forums that there are several private equity firms looking to buy.
Audio research runs their tubes especially hard and they need to be replaced more frequently. And many say they sound like solid state.
I was close to buying one but it doesn’t work well with home theater due to heavy tubes use.
They were priced on the hi side. And now with all the dealers involved and reluctance by dealers to take trade-ins, used prices Will be very depressed. Long-term servicing a product is now a question. Someone pays $15,000 for A preamp and then 4 years from now something doesn’t work properly and then you worry about servicing and warranty it’s a death spiral it’s a financial mess nobody’s gonna wanna buy this company.
So happy I never bought one of these. And this is just the beginning for other hi-fi dealers and manufacturers. Financing costs are going a lot higher and 4 to 5% and even higher it’s very difficult to manage inventory
I am listening to an all ARC Reference system as I type this. It is the most incredible system I have ever heard (and I have heard dozens of much more expensive systems over the decades) and amazes me daily how magical and musical it is.
It took me nearly fifty years to be able to afford it and after listening to it for over three thousand hours still have a very hard time dragging myself away every single night.
In my retirement it is the most valued possession and happiest that I spent the thousands of hours and dollars it took to getting here.
Love Audio Research gear. This is one manufacturer that makes gear sound as good as it looks! As far as letting go, (i would prefer these words as opposed to dumping) and it is more likely out of curiosity to try something else. How many audiophiles put together a new system only to regret letting go of their previous gear. This happens, but not in every case.
In audio, it seems that a manufacturer gets one chance to do well, and that’s it.
Back in the 90s I had an Audio Research SP-9 preamp. It was not particularly good: details were obscured by the noise floor, and there was little depth to the soundstage. Its tonality was hard and neutral--certainly not warmish. Also, I could hear crosstalk among the inputs. I kept it for a couple of months, then traded it back in to the dealer for a much better product (not by ARC).
Audio Research may make better products today. But I’ll never go there again. Don’t know, don’t care.
I really doubt any number of people (consumers who own the gear) are "dumping" gear because there is something going on with the manufacturer. Normal people don't follow such things about the companies they have bought gear from and would never care. Sounds as stupid as my mom following news on KitchenAid every day because she bought a blender some years ago. Might be a form of insanity. Might want to seek medical assistance from a mental health professional :-)
jaym759 I couldn't agree more with jhdprentice...retirement is an opportunity to put your well earned bucks into a great sound system! I have unwavering loyalty to ARC and in fact looking to upgrade some of my current ARC stuff. If ponying up
is the price of admission to great listening, do it...dol it now. Hopefully there will be some great deals with ARC equipment to ease me into my retirement listening years that I have left. Thank you Prentice for sharing your experience.
Apparently a ‘white knight’ has stepped in and rescued the company! This is certainly welcome news. No word on who stepped up to the plate, but I wish them well.
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