Audio Research, AYON and Primaluna tube amplifiers.

While NO company has 100% great products, yet over the years (1970-2022) they have been in business, ARC has had more "wins" than most companies have had ever.

Interesting to see that their first break-through pre-amp from mid-1970’s (SP-3A1) STILL commands huge prices. I sold it when it went from $595 to $695 to $795 and could never keep them in stock. Today, on ebay, etc., they go for over $3000 and they are over 45 years old!!

Another flagship back then, the two-chassis SP-10, is still considered one of the best ever! Their new stuff is also wonderful if you can afford it.

BUT, you have to listen IN YOUR ROOM to whatever you pick and make sure it fits YOUR system. Personally, I would buy ARC EVERY TIME, but you need to know a couple of things:

1. They had some duds with their solid state stuff

2. There are some items they can no longer service. You should call them and see before you make a final decision. Their service is legendary, if expensive, but as in most things in life, you tend to get what you pay for.

Best of luck to you, and should you go with ARC electronics, have your dealer hook up a pair of Magneplaner speakers in your room and see how that combo grabs you.

Cheers!

Having owned an ARC VT-130 for years, I recently acquired a PrimaLuna Dialogue HP Integrated. Both are wonderful devices with only slightly different and subtle (emotional) sonic differences (to my ear) which can be tweaked based on tube choice among others. Those above who discredit one because of price point should be ignored…depending on your priorities, of course. It should not be a contest to see who can spend the most. Buy what you enjoy…I suspect you’d love any of the brands you mentioned. All will reproduce recorded music beautifully.

In military ranks:

ARC is ranked as Marshall

Ayon is ranked as General

PrimaLuna as Major 

and VAC is Supreme Commander? 

@j-wall

Primaluna gets the big stuff right. The overall tonal balance, level of detail and bass. ARC goes beyond this. It gets the sound fully fleshed out and refines all aspects. Details like cymbals become unmistakable brass instead of just sounding like the treble of cymbals. Voices take on the full lush nuances of the real artists. Bells completely change with ARC, being rendered stunningly realistically… the richness and depth can be startling. Bass notes and sounds are more multi varied and differentiated… less single thump. The background… noice floor lowers… a big deal… allowing you to fall deeper into the music. While PrimaLuna is musical… ARC takes it to a much more compelling level of emotional connection.

ARC produces fine scientific like instruments letting you discover nuances you never knew existed in the music. Over time, I continually learn more and more about how good they are.

ARC has a company sound that has been refined generation after generation with a goal of musical reproduction. As @richopp points out, they occasionally made a misstep, but overall they have marched relentlessly towards reproducing the full experience of music. The newer and most costly succeed to the greatest extent… but buying as high up the ladder. But any of them will buy you into the experience.

My audio guy gave me a book, “Making the Music Glow”, by Ken Kessler on the history of Audio Research after I bought my final piece of ARC Reference gear. It tells the story of a vision of music from it’s origin. Reading the book, I really got it. It was never about money… it was about a vision to create an believable musical experience in the home.

An ARC preamp will work great with your amp. No question. You will get an upgrade. But it will likely make you wonder what would happen if you switch to a good ARC amp. And that will get an enormous upgrade. The combination is incredible. Over f the decades, nearly by accident I ended up with all ARC gear… the synergy is incredible. For a chang I can’t conceive of changing… well maybe just upgrading as new models become available.