Audio Research Sold

Absolutely clearthinker, I also own and have owned several ARC products. This is a bit worrisome as I doubt Trent Suggs has the deep pockets of Mcintosh. Was ARC interfering with Mac sales or was ARC not doing well and Mac decided to bale out? Fremer's article is political rubbish based mostly on liability issues and says nothing of substance.
We all love analog but we are in the minority. Mac has started delving into digital technology. If ARC wants to survive it will have to do the same with more than disc players and a DAC. It needs music/video servers and an advanced digital preamp with theater capability. I doubt there are enough of us dyed in the wool audiophiles to keep ARC alive. I thought the Mac/ARC match up would have been a good one. I view Mac as upper Mid Fi. They could have groomed or continued ARC in the Ultra High End market which is substantially different. They should not have been competing with each other.

Hmm, article seemed more like a marketing piece ... and it seems like more of a ownership-restructuring than outright sale.  Also, timeline is two days ago and I can't find another published article.  Probably just me, what could happen ...?

As a former dealer (1973) who knew Mr. Johnson, I can only hope that the values and products he envisioned can be continued/re-instated.

Since I have not had the pleasure of purchasing and listening to their newer products--my "newest" piece is an SP-6--I cannot speak to how they compare to the earlier stuff.  I can say, without reservation, however, that the SP-3-A-1 and the D-150 were amazing products, and I am sure that there were others after that that improved on them.  Let's remember that the circuit designs of tube amps and pre-amps are not exactly rocket science and that there are a very limited number of ways of doing it in commercial audio products sold to the general public for home use.

Today, many ARC products have SS components in various areas of the signal path.  How that plays into the future of the company is anyone's guess.  I can tell you, however, that I am looking to purchase an amp, and a call to AR about one model with the SS areas was met with the following:  "We cannot service or repair that product."

I realize this is rather rare for them, but my guess is that rather than main circuit boards, etc., this has to do with the SS components.

I wish them well.  If you knew Mr. Johnson, you knew that he was all serious business and devoted to his craft.  He did not make compromises--I remember us discussing the difficulty of getting the face plates manufactured properly.  He told me it was much more difficult than getting the electronic parts done as he demanded perfection in every item.  That's the kind of person we need running a company like this, and I hope this team realizes this.  I wish them (and us) the best!

 Can’t argue with that.  My experience with Audio Research products has always been a pleasure. 

A small group usually brings passion and flexibility in the fold. This allows people to be focused on customer service and excellent sales support.