Thoughts on the Audio Research 150.2

I hate to rain on the preverbial parade but I had the chance to do an A/B comparison of the 100.2 and the 150.2 and I have to say that the 100.2 was better by a considerable margin. The 100.2 has the magic of tubes with the drive and authority of solid state. The 150.2, while a very good amp, simply was not as engaging as the model it replaced. I'm no electrical engineer but the significant difference in sound quality between the amps is probably a function of their radically different designs--the 150.2 being a digital switching amp. I listened to both extensively in my own system and room so there were no variables except for the amps themselves. I really wanted to like the 150.2 better because it runs cooler and would work better in my in-cabinet installation. Try as I might the 100.2 simply sounded more musical and involving. I am not the only one who has reported on this comparison--since I did my listening and made my decision there have been other threads in which people report the same results. Bottom line is that both are good amps--it's just that the 100.2 may be the best sounding amp that ARC has ever produced. This is why they have held their value so well and why so few show up on the A'gon. I'd be interested in hearing other viewpoints on this as it is not often one gets to do such a controlled comparison and therefore develop an opinion with a high degree of personal validity. BTW, the preamp was an SP16.

Thought I would post thoughts on the 300.2 I recently purchased (replaced a Krell FPB-300)to drive ProAc D38; ARC LS25mkII pre, ARC CD3 MKII, Kimber select cables, ExactPower. The results are stunning! What a great amp! The combination of components is very synergistic. Couple of learnings along the way: 1)keep the amp on as much as you can. After power-on the 300.2 takes a long time to sound great again. According to my ExactPower the amp draws less than 60W so it's like keeping a light bulb lit. 2) Invest in the best power conditioning and power cord you can. I'm using ExactPower and Kimber Palladian PK-10. Very noticeable improvements. Class D and Class T digital amps are showing up in many companies product lines. ARC has one of the best implementations so far.

Thanks Rsorren1, I´m considering a 300.2 for my Magnepans but how would you describe the bass compared to the FPB 300 which is known for having great powerful bass?

Hasse, sorry it has taken this long to get back to you. The bass on the 300.2 is outstanding. Not as rich sounding when compared to the FPB300 but BETTER DEFINED. The Krell amps have a rich, powerful, sound. They tend to present the soundstage "in-front" of the speakers. The 300.2 lays the soundstage behind the speakers. I've owned Krell amps since 1991 and became familiar with the rich, forward Krell sound. When I initially heard the 300.2 at home on demo, it took me just a little while to determine that the bass response was actually more articulate and better defined. Try it with Maggies. I can't believe that it would be a bad match given the proper cables and power

This response is an addendum to my response regarding the 150.2. I know there have been some people who have attempted to compare it with the 100.2 which in its purest sense is not a fair comparison. You are talking about two different!! types of amplifiers and technologies. The 150.2 is a tripath or class "T" digital amp the 100.2 is not.
After finally hearing the 100.2, all of the accolades it has received are warranted no doubt. The luscious tube like midrange and the solidstate bass with great authority are all there but here is one thing I would offer. In trying to achieve "the absolute sound" in our respective systems What are we talking about? We are talking about trying to replicate the actual live performance and the live performance does not sound like tubes and it does not sound like solidstate. It doesn't even sound like stereo!
Having said that, when I listen to the 150.2 in my system, it sounds more like the live performance(and I've attended a lot of live performances)than any amp I've heard including the 100.2! Sometimes we get accustomed to hearing and listening to recorded music so much that we lose perspective of what live music really sounds like, particularly if we don't go to a lot of live performances.
So, nobody has rained on my parade to quote Mr. Dodgealum.
The bottom line is that in the final analysis it comes down to personal preference and my preference is the 150.2 based on my experience and I've been in highend audio for over 20yrs.