Thanks for your input. I am starting to believe that the PL would sound better than my ARC units due to how they are built, their premium parts, etc. I guess it is due to the fact that they are built in China where the labor costs are way down and they can put the savings into better parts. Until I saw PL, I never heard of point-to-point wiring. Does that help in the better sound quality, imaging, soundstage, depth, etc. Anyway, it seems everyone who owns this equipment, can't rave enough about how it sounds compared to anything else at any price level.
Considering switching from Audio Research to PrimaLuna, troube with VS115 amp
Hello everyone, I have question that I hope some of you either can answer or have an opinion on. Ever since I was 17, I have always wanted to own Audio Research equipment. I’m 56 now, and finally was able to fulfill my life long dream. My first acquisition was an ARC LS15 pre-amp bought here used in mint condition. I paired it with a Vincent 331MK hybrid amp also bought here used in mint condition. The resulting sound was impressive. After that, I started looking for an ARC amp I could afford. The resulting search found me an ARC VS115 amp also here in used, awesome condition. This is where my problems and my doubts started. Upon hooking up the amp to my system, a tube in the left channel arced and blew a resistor. I had to take the amp to an ARC dealer and he installed a new resistor and suggested I buy all new tubes from ARC for the amp. I did and when I got back home, I again hooked up the amp and immediately upon turning the amp on, I started to hear thumping sounds coming from my left speaker, then, two left channel output tubes started to glow a very bright orange, and then white smoke started to rise from one of the tube sockets. I immediately turned the amp off. I called the dealer and he suggested I mail the unit back to ARC. I did and I am now waiting to see what they say.
During this time, I started to search out other brands and came across one called PrimaLuna. I have watched their videos and seen them compared to ARC equipment. Their build quality seems to be superior to ARC and the reviews are over the top. I am looking at their Dialogue Premium HP amp and their Dialogue Premium pre-amp. For what they cost, considering how they are built and supposedly sound compared to units costing 3 to 4 times their price, they almost seem too good to be true. Anyway, my bubble has been burst, and in simple terms, I am considering jumping ship and going with another company instead of ARC, despite all those years of drooling and waiting.
My main question is this, is there anyone out there that either owns PrimaLuna or has had experience with the equipment and can give me their opinion on owning and using it. Then, my second question is how does PrimaLuna really compare to other high end equipment such as ARC. Kevin Deal in his videos on PrimaLuna makes a very compelling case for the equipment. In one video, he compares an ARC LS17SE to the PrimaLuna pre-amp.
My last question is in regards to my ARC VS115 amp problems. Anyone have an opinion on what is going on with my amp or a VS115 in general. For those of you who want to know what else is in my system, I am using KEF 104ab speakers, a Cambridge Azur 752BD Blu-ray player as my CD player, Morrow Audio Cables and I am considering getting the Sony HAP-Z1ES music player for my digital files.
I greatly appreciate all who take the time to comment and give their opinions. I will be glad to answer any questions you may ask or provide additional. Thanks for your help. Steve.
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skyhawk51... Parts quality and the implementation of said parts... along with great engineering and construction know how would be a the key factor to any great sounding piece of kit. There are a lot of good sounding products that use both point to point wiring and circuit board construction. Whether or not one form is better than another is always up for debate,but in the case of the PL gear... the consensus seems to favor the point to point scheme,and I tend to agree. Old school tube construction does have huge merit,but it can be rather costly... without help from high labor costs. |
Steve, as for your ARC amp, I would check for lose socket pins or cracked solder joints where the tube socket is soldered to the PCB. Both can cause a tube to red plate. As for the PL Dialogue, they are nice sounding amps too. Pretty bullet proof and all point to point wiring which eliminates the thermal stress between the socket and PCB each time the amp is turned on and the socket and tube start to warm up. The PL amps also benefit from tube rolling and coupling cap rolling.... best |
@skyhawk51, I'm certainly no expert but it's my understanding that some consider point-to-point wiring advantageous (over printed circuit boards) due to the heat created by tubes. The reasoning is, I think, that the tubes create signficant heat that can damage PCBs and/or the connection between a wire/component part and the board itself. I've read that some of the premium manufacturers of radios kept using point-to-point wiring for this reason. In addition to Primaluna, I Rogers looks like it does hand wiring as well. I've never looked inside a McIntosh or ARC tube amp. http://rogershighfidelity.com/portfolio-type/rogers-ehf-200-ehf-200-mk2/ |
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