Considering switching from Audio Research to PrimaLuna, troube with VS115 amp

@lalitk
I am most anxious to hear the new ARC equipment.
Hope to have a chance for an audition soon.
Much thanks,
Jim

Speaking of ARC reference amps, I was fortunate enough to sit through an audition of REF250SE, REF6 with Sonus Faber's Lilium speakers....l was quite blown away by larger than life soundstage, imaging and a sense of realism.

That's close to my combo of Ref 6 and Ref 150SE. As soon as I have them in place with some listening time I will report back. My front ends are a VPI Prime SS Zephyr MIMC into a Manley Steelhead and an Aurender N100H into an Abbingdon Music Research DP777.

Hi guys, I'm back to report an update. During the unboxing of the amp, I had to remove the plastic bag that the amp had been put in. That is when I heard a sound coming from inside the amp. As I moved the amp back and forth, I could hear something that was loose moving. This obviously concerned me so I turned it upside down and used a flashlight to see inside. Naturally, I thought something may have broken off during the shipping. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary so when I righted the amp, that is when the thing making the noise fell out. It was a piece of plastic zip tie. I was relieved that it wasn't an electronic part of some kind. Following that, I hooked up the amp and other components, crossed my fingers and flipped the switch on the amp. It came to life with no issues, so I proceeded to wait and give it a warm up period of about 30 minutes. After that, I played some jazz from musician Peter White. For the next hour I listened to him and some other music without any glitches. So far I am happy to have the amp back and can finally use and enjoy it. As too its performance, I think I need to teak my speaker placement in relation to where I am sitting to get the best sound, but over all I am pleased by the sound. Seeing the tubes glow while listening to music is a real treat and part of the over all experience I think. That is why I like the open design of the VS115 amp. After all this time, I finally have an ARC system in my home and I look forward to many, many hours of listening pleasure.

However, during this whole process of getting this system up and finally  running in my home, I do believe that my bubble has been burst about high end audio in general, ARC equipment in particular, the industry as a whole, and the madness or insanity if you like, about how much is spent on achieving ultimate sound quality.

I think if I was starting over and hadn't been so tied to ARC coming from my past, I would have bought PrimaLuna instead for several reasons already spoken about in this thread. Considering their build quality and price, I sure I would have been more than happy if them. I think I will try them sometime in the future and compare them to ARC. I am willing to bet I may prefer them. When it comes to high end audio, I do believe we come with a set of biases that influence us in our purchasing decisions. Such as, if it cost more, it must sound better. If it is made in USA, it is better. If it says a certain name on it, It is better. All of this then lends itself to bragging rights when describing our system to others. And thus, this gets passed on from one person to another.

And finally, when you consider all the variables that exist when comparing equipment, how can you really be sure that something really sounds better or it just sounds different. You could spend all day listing those many variables that come into play when comparing equipment and when you take that into account, I think that is where the insanity of it all comes into place. People in this hobby will spend 5x the amount to achieve a perceived improvement in sound quality that may or may not really be there. And if it is, can it be heard by the person making the investment due to all the variables that exist.

I am sure that this has been discussed many times before and will again. When you think about it, this could be one of the main reasons that drive the hobby and industry which is the pursuit of the holy grail of high end audio. Hearing live music with all its nuances in your home from recorded music played on audio equipment.

Skyhawk-please keep in mind that the VS115 came out in 8/2018. Amp technology may not change that much but parts quality keeps improving. Plus, how many owners owned your VS115 before you, how did they treat it, and how many times was it shipped? And btw, the LS15 came in two versions, one better than the other. Which do you have. Neither come close to the LS18. Sell 'em off, buy the PL stuff-I bet it sounds great- and report back. But all that said, your mental construct-just my worthless opinion-is a bit skewed. Skewed because ARC gear is dependable (all of PL's marketing has zilch to do with preventing tube arc) and because the critical parts of recent vintage ARC gear is far superior to that of PL.

fsonicsmith, I appreciate your response. I think your date on when the amp came out though is a little off. I checked and I couldn't find an ARC LS18 pre-amp. Was you referring to the LS28 model?