Audio Research 100.2 amp

This is a real diamond in the rough. It has been working wonders in my system since hour 1 :) and it has not been that long since I bought it. It allows me to relax and take in a sound I have longed for since I caught the bug over a decade ago. Everything said about this amp is absolutely true. It is the most 'musical' amp I have ever owned. It continues to suprise me as i revisit old favorites, on some cd's that I think will sound like dirt and cause apprehension, they come out sounding just fine. To my ears it does not acheive this by being overly warm ( adding same coloration) or rolling off the top; rather, it is transparent, open and pure. In this sense it is quite remarkable. I think for the 1st time I am truly not listening to an amp per se, but to amplified music. I wish there were some published performance data to appease my technical side, for kicks; This amp's published power rating belies its real world performance. It is very punchy and capable of driving fairly difficult speakers (Dynaudio Contour 3.4 and 1.8 MKII's) to very impressive levels w/o becoming harsh, shut in, or collapsing the soundstage. Bravo ARC, Bravo. When can we see another classic solid state this good? Truly a remarkable value at the price of admission.

The current blue book price is 50% of the original retail. This is relatively high for an 8 year old model and reflects the high quality of this amplifier. It's a superb value IMO

I fully agree with all the accolades for the 100.2 in this thread. By far, the best SS amp I have auditioned (out of dozens and dozens of amps) in just about every respect. I dare Audio Research to "bring it back" as a "classic series". But then again, I heard they "had to" drop it because it was outperforming their mega-cost tube amps at the dealers!

Stunning in every respect.

And I like it too!

Tube-like mids, sweet non-fatiguing highs, well-defined ample bass... what more would one want?

...How much truth is there to that statement about outperforming the higher end tube amps I wonder?

What are you guys using as a preamp for your 100.2. I have an LS-15 with EH 6922 tubes, and I am getting the itch to make some changes to the tubes. Any thoughts?

Also, what are the most difficult speakers you connected to this little gem, and had it totally surprise you?
I took it to a friends house and it surprised us massively in its ability to control his dynaudio S3.4s.