Soliciting Member Perspectives: Levinson vs Bryston vs Audio Research

@minorl - thanks for your thoughtful post.  However, I am really just wanting people to talk about the three brands so we can all learn from the exchange.  As for specific recommendations pertaining to my direction - no need to worry about it right now.  I tend to collect vintage stuff & have pieces of equipment from all three of the brands I targeted for this discussion.  Eventually, I do plan to re-do my primary system in the brand I am leaning towards...but I do not want to bias the conversation by announcing which.  

Right now, my primary system makes me quite happy.  I am running a Parasound Model 2100 PreAmp & Model 2250 v1 amp into 2 different pairs of speakers [never play them simultaneously]: #1 Klipsch Forte II & #2 Gallo Reference 3.1.  I am running 2 DACs: Levinson No. 36 & ARC DAC-8.  My subwoofer is a Gallo CL-12.  The digital sources are SonyES 608ESD single CD, SonyES C77-ES 5-disc changer, Pioneer Elite MJ-17D mini-disc & Bryston BDP-1.  The analog sources are Nak CR-5A cassette, Marantz ST7001 tuner & an AT LP-1240 TT through a MacIntosh MP-100 phono preamp.  Definitely a mixed bag of toys!  However, they all cohabitate and make wonderful music together.  I am still amazed at how differently the Klipsch vs the Gallo speakers sound.  Also, the substantial difference between the music made by the 2 different DACs.  Thus far, I would be hard-pressed to declare either individual piece in each competing pair to be clearly superior.

Thanks again.

jetter"his paragraph beginning with …." it is not for you to limit, restrict...." is a copy and paste that appears in a number of his/her posts and almost seems computer generated."

I will consistently, steadfastly, and repeatedly defend, support, and endorse those who use this forum to share, express, and explain they’re thoughts, beliefs, or opinions even if many seek to limit, restrict, or discourage them because they they disagree or are offended, insulted, or embarassed. If you confuse such action, effort, and determination with " computer generated" posts then you are mistaken, confused, or disoriented.

Levinson isn’t Levinson, ARC isn’t ARC. So, I don’t follow either brand.

These companies do lots of marketing, and sell lots of equipment. ARC does lots of planned obsolescence, with which the audio writers collude by stating that the latest flavor is markedly better than its predecessor. This is straight out of Marketing 101.

Not to imply that all incremental improvements are just marketing. For instance, Bobby Palkovich put decades of research into perfecting his Merlins, but he was following an aesthetic vision.

I owned and Audio Research Amp and pre amp from about 2005-2008.

I liked and enjoyed them, but 300 wpc into 4 ohms was not sufficient for my Maggies.

With more efficient speakers, I suspect I would have not changed them.  Ultimately I went for a McIntosh pair of mono blocks and a tube pre amp.

I have nothing but good opinions of the Audio Research gear I owned and would recommend listening  to them as a possible choice.  Caveat being that was 10 years ago.

Enjoy your journey!

I owned a Bryston 4BST stereo amp and then 7BST monoblocks for several years powering Thiel CS7s. The 7BSTs were eventually bettered by a Krell 400cx stereo amp, if only for its ability to better drive the low impedance. But the Brystons were very musical. They were fed by a Bryston BP25 preamp via balanced cables. An audio friend of mine has a 100 WPC Audio Research stereo amp driving Vandersteen Quattros that sounds fantastic.