Why was the entry level line at Audio Research eliminated?

Hi,
competitiveness both in pricing and performance.  i believe ARC run out of ideas in entry level as sp-9 cannnot be stretched any further. Downsizing affecting production? I always remember ARC gear to evolve from low to high and not the opposite. Some companies are moving  upscale, risky but inevitable.

Prima Luna.
I'd say so. 
Ck out the bidding on PL units,, Hot items. That is one brand which retains most,,well lets say a higher resale margin vs many other brands. PL is made in Spark lab,,, where Cayin is made, which i can testify matches up to any famous high priced american labs. 
I'd put my Cayin CD17 Mark 1(modded with new caps and new Descrete opamps. = $700 mod) ) up to any Cary cdp. in a shootout. 

If we're mentioning favorite brands in this category, I'll go with Quicksilver.

Audio Research has always been about Reference level products with some exceptions. In the past 15 years they haven’t produced much below that reference threshold they have set for themselves. I think most of it has to do with what they believe the minimum level they can achieve and still be considered reference by their standards.

Don’t forget Schiit has tube preamps...