Final? ARC Chapter...

I hope they do not outsource the engineering work.  Perhaps they do already.  It is a trend that has been growing for a few decades now.  I argued to management that the engineers are not a commodity, that they are the product- the heart and soul of the product.  But the engineering work load rises and falls depending on the state of the projects and new business.  Engineers get pushed to work overtime (unpaid mostly) when demand is up but then get laid off as soon as the workload drops.  Management really likes the idea of contracting the work out to low cost countries and having the flexibility to increase/decrease headcount on demand.  Over the long term innovation is lost, the product itself becomes a commodity- ie. no differentiation in the market and sales decline.  Eventually the company or that product line ceases to exist.  I’ve seen it several times now over the years.  The worst part is that the cycle continues.

It always started with sending out drawing/design work.  Drafting and design drawings are time consuming.  Outsourcing was the easy way to relieve the pressure.  The thing is the competitor’s drawings are being worked on by a designer one seat over.  Second, this outsourcing house most likely has never touched or held the product in their hand, let alone see how it is made. 

Mid Fi at best. Nothing is special about the brand. Good for ARC that it found a buyer.

New ARC stuff has seemed a little too expensive to me for years so, meh...I do like the fact that they're around anyway as it's sort of comforting. Fremer had a recent youtube ARC facility tour thing that was interesting, especially the part where the ARC dude says something like, "we have to hire another repair tech as we're 3 months behind." That hints at issues right there...

I took the "click bait" on this. It's not the end, its a new beginning and a continuation of a storied brand - the fact that an enthusiast purchased it is even better. I'm sure good things will come of this and perhaps ARC's new product line will broaden a bit and become more attainable to lure newer audiophiles into the brand rather than counting primarily on selling 15k amps and pre-amps to a limited audience. I wish them all the best as losing the brand would be unthinkable.

Some pretty harsh critics on this thread.  ARC is a storied brand with a long pedigree for an electronics manufacturer.  I much prefer putting my money in a well known brand with a good reputation for service long after the sale.  I myself am reticent to purchase ultra hifi for big bucks from relatively new brands with little to no history.  Seems a risky venture.

Yes, we have seen the demise of some big names in hifi over the past decade or two as owner/founders failed to carry on their legacy.  It is making choices difficult for us hifi enthusiasts compounded by the lack of shops carrying high end audio.  I look at some high end manufacturers' websites and find even the most notable names have merely a handful of stores/dealers across the country.