Great write up. I went through similar changes with ARC gear in the 80s and 90s. My observation was that ARC was never consistent with a "house" sound. The next generation was often not a refinement of the last but rather a completely different shift in performance and presentation. And then a few years later, the magical ARC sound would return....and then gone again some time after that. I have no experience with the latest line as I have moved on with other product lines. But there are some great standouts in the ARC line from the past.
The one ARC product that was OUTSTANDING and always a sleeper in their line was the PH2 phono stage. After having been a tube diehard with the SP-10, I was stunned by the PH2's performance with the pairing of the LS5. Having since gone with tubed phono stages from BAT, Aesthetix and Aria, I still remember what a phenomenal product the PH2 was. Borrowing a PH3 from a dealer made the PH3 exciting for a few minutes but returning back to the PH2, I knew something was right; it was smooth, it was natural. Fortunately I had single-ended and balanced tonearm cables from the same manufacturer to use with both phono stages for comparison at that time. So keep your eyes out for one of these. With a gain of 48db, it only supports cartridges in the 1mv output. And if you prefer a single-ended phono stage, the PH1 is a similar design. And these run cool cool.
It's fine to be "devoted" to a company and a product line. But to assume a "synergy" will exist with ARC products from past or present can quickly show this is not always the case.
The LS5 and VT130 line stage and amp pairing was one of the best I ever experienced. This was what musical enjoyment was all about. But ultimately I wanted more "beefy" amps to drive Magnepan 3.3's so I change to the ARC Classic 150's. What a horrible mistake that was. The musical enjoyment was gone and a sterile presentation was before me. And then I tried a Counterpoint NPS400, a lowly little amp compared to the behemoth 150's. I was stunned by the performance of the Counterpoint. Not only did it control the speakers like the ARC amps could not, but it was mighty close to the VT130's midrange magic...not quite, but close. And it had refinements at the frequency extremes that the VT130 lacked. This was a wake-up call for me to be open to all possibilities and not corner myself to staying with one product line. And I live 2 miles from the ARC headquarters.
John
The one ARC product that was OUTSTANDING and always a sleeper in their line was the PH2 phono stage. After having been a tube diehard with the SP-10, I was stunned by the PH2's performance with the pairing of the LS5. Having since gone with tubed phono stages from BAT, Aesthetix and Aria, I still remember what a phenomenal product the PH2 was. Borrowing a PH3 from a dealer made the PH3 exciting for a few minutes but returning back to the PH2, I knew something was right; it was smooth, it was natural. Fortunately I had single-ended and balanced tonearm cables from the same manufacturer to use with both phono stages for comparison at that time. So keep your eyes out for one of these. With a gain of 48db, it only supports cartridges in the 1mv output. And if you prefer a single-ended phono stage, the PH1 is a similar design. And these run cool cool.
It's fine to be "devoted" to a company and a product line. But to assume a "synergy" will exist with ARC products from past or present can quickly show this is not always the case.
The LS5 and VT130 line stage and amp pairing was one of the best I ever experienced. This was what musical enjoyment was all about. But ultimately I wanted more "beefy" amps to drive Magnepan 3.3's so I change to the ARC Classic 150's. What a horrible mistake that was. The musical enjoyment was gone and a sterile presentation was before me. And then I tried a Counterpoint NPS400, a lowly little amp compared to the behemoth 150's. I was stunned by the performance of the Counterpoint. Not only did it control the speakers like the ARC amps could not, but it was mighty close to the VT130's midrange magic...not quite, but close. And it had refinements at the frequency extremes that the VT130 lacked. This was a wake-up call for me to be open to all possibilities and not corner myself to staying with one product line. And I live 2 miles from the ARC headquarters.
John