The more i read the more sympathy i have for ARC.
Some customers are just difficult
Some customers are just difficult
A civil discussion about the state of Audio Research
I invested considerable time yesterday expressing my thoughts as to the current state of Audio Research as a company from the standpoint of quality (positive) and customer service (negative) only to have the entire thread censored/deleted by the mods.
For the small subsection of this Country’s population that are home audio enthusiasts, Audio Research is an iconic brand. Moreso than any other company, AR was the torchbearer for tubes when the rest of the amp manufacturers were turning to solid state. Further, though there were a few duds here and there, I am hard-pressed to think of any other company that has made as many legendary models of amps and preamps that have withstood the test of time (imho only Krell, Spectral, and CJ come to mind and present era super-brands such as CH and DarTZeel lack the history necessary).
My point yesterday is that AR’s acquisition by a parent company has resulted in a dilution of brand identity-similar to when Volvo was acquired by Ford between ’99 and ’10 and suddenly cross pollination of parts and assembly took place. My second point is that unlike the car industry, audio is a niche industry and to refuse to interact with customers directly and to instead insist that the customer go through the local dealer is inexcusable. I think we would mostly agree that when one tries to call AT&T about one’s cable and internet service only to get a computer interface and then eventually a clueless third-party intermediary who barely speaks English in India, the entire experience is frustrating and inadequate. I have news (apparently) for the parent company of AR; the present system is not altogether different from getting a clueless intermediary in some remote country who can not really help you.
My local AD is not a top-notch audio salon. They don’t stock a single piece of AR gear in their showroom and primarily cater to home theater. They have one salesperson who has a history of owning AR gear and he only works part-time. More importantly, based on other accounts, I have no confidence that if I experience a catastrophic problem AR will treat me with respect and take care of me. I have heard nothing but the opposite. The human touch is gone. My local Devore dealer, a nationally respected one-man shop dealer-used to carry AR and thanks to several awful experiences since the take-over dropped AR and now sells VTL instead.
I am hoping that this thread results in a CIVIL and appropriate, mostly intelligent discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of AR and AR's future. If the mods wish to delete this post as well, fine, but I want a forum to post my concerns about AR and if this one won’t accommodate me, I will find another.
Again, for the record, I am the original owner of a Ref 6 and Ref 150SE and therefor have ~$30,000 invested in my amp and pre alone. A paltry sum by the standards of some, but not paltry to me.
For the small subsection of this Country’s population that are home audio enthusiasts, Audio Research is an iconic brand. Moreso than any other company, AR was the torchbearer for tubes when the rest of the amp manufacturers were turning to solid state. Further, though there were a few duds here and there, I am hard-pressed to think of any other company that has made as many legendary models of amps and preamps that have withstood the test of time (imho only Krell, Spectral, and CJ come to mind and present era super-brands such as CH and DarTZeel lack the history necessary).
My point yesterday is that AR’s acquisition by a parent company has resulted in a dilution of brand identity-similar to when Volvo was acquired by Ford between ’99 and ’10 and suddenly cross pollination of parts and assembly took place. My second point is that unlike the car industry, audio is a niche industry and to refuse to interact with customers directly and to instead insist that the customer go through the local dealer is inexcusable. I think we would mostly agree that when one tries to call AT&T about one’s cable and internet service only to get a computer interface and then eventually a clueless third-party intermediary who barely speaks English in India, the entire experience is frustrating and inadequate. I have news (apparently) for the parent company of AR; the present system is not altogether different from getting a clueless intermediary in some remote country who can not really help you.
My local AD is not a top-notch audio salon. They don’t stock a single piece of AR gear in their showroom and primarily cater to home theater. They have one salesperson who has a history of owning AR gear and he only works part-time. More importantly, based on other accounts, I have no confidence that if I experience a catastrophic problem AR will treat me with respect and take care of me. I have heard nothing but the opposite. The human touch is gone. My local Devore dealer, a nationally respected one-man shop dealer-used to carry AR and thanks to several awful experiences since the take-over dropped AR and now sells VTL instead.
I am hoping that this thread results in a CIVIL and appropriate, mostly intelligent discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of AR and AR's future. If the mods wish to delete this post as well, fine, but I want a forum to post my concerns about AR and if this one won’t accommodate me, I will find another.
Again, for the record, I am the original owner of a Ref 6 and Ref 150SE and therefor have ~$30,000 invested in my amp and pre alone. A paltry sum by the standards of some, but not paltry to me.
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- 50 posts total
Gee, McIntosh bought Audio Research? Maybe one of the engineers at AR will help the Mc guys and gals figure out how to make equipment that not only LOOKS good but also does not add to the reproduction of the music. Nah, sorry for being an optimist. As for AR customer service, I guess my theory of life today is, in fact, true: There are so many people with so much disposable income that high-end companies of all products no longer need customers who ask questions, etc. They sell everything they make and could care less about customers. With 340 million Americans today and something like 2000 billionaires in the world, it isn't the same world it was when Bill started the company in 1970--@200 million Americans and a handful of billionaires. If only HALF of the billionaires and their families buy "luxury" products, we are simply not needed any more. Lamborghini only makes about 2000 cars a year and sells most of them in the USA at 200-400+K each. I would guess, and it is only a guess, that these are NOT daily drivers for most owners, but you never know, right? They could be the only car in the entire family. Customer service is a philosophical business position tied to money. Sorry, money ALWAYS wins no matter what. For those of us fortunate enough to have met Mr. Johnson and sold his products in the '70's, re-read this for a refresher on expertise and inventor involvement: https://www.stereophile.com/content/william-zane-johnson-19261502011 Today, $$ rules and everything else is not important, obviously. Cheers! |
@richopp- About that $$: Don’t you want to support the property values, in New York’s SoHo District? ie: (https://worldofmcintosh.com/about/) |
@fsonicsmith I assure you, no trolling here. I’ve owned Audio Research gear that utilized the 6550, the Kt120 and the Kt150. The Kt150 based amps Ive owned (gsi75, 75se) provided a complete frequency reproduction and did so with elegance and verve. I’ve owned other manufacturer’s amps that utilized the kt88 and the Arc Kt150 based amps simply reproduce the frequency spectrum more comprehensively. I’ll be the first to admit that tube rolling is fun, I personally enjoy it and frankly, that may be the only reason I dont own ARC gear presently. Certainly there are days I wish I had left well enough alone when I had my ref5se/ref75se combo. |
Fsonicsmith seems to feel that after spending what for him is a substantial amount of money he is now entitled by that very fact to "special treatment" by the manufacturer that includes personal attention to every detail and consistent, constant, repeated, assurances that he will be treat with "respect" and "care" in the event that something that has not even happened to him might actually happen and he assumed that such respect and care were included in his purchase price although he made no effort it appears to confirm or substantiate that in advance of his purchase. The sale of ARC is not something that happened recently and his learning of that transition of company ownership is now something he ties to his disappointments and general state of displeasure with ARC products and service. It is most likely and probable that this person has never purchased other high price items such as a new car or house so he has no frame of reference for customer service with such products but instead assumed a certain level of service based on a fantasy that has not materialized. |
- 50 posts total