Audio Research Ref 5 preamp

The moment any great high end manufacturer ceases to do R&D and make improvements to their products as significant as the Ref 5 they might as well hang it up.

In case anyone hasn't noticed amidst of all the hand wringing over economic circumstances there have been some very cool advances in almost every product category and the cost of great sound is still going down--in some cases dramatically. If manufacturers sat on their hands and did not reinvest in making the best possible products there would be more worthy issues to sit and complain about

Well, of course no one can argue with the merits of R&D. And obviously to stay in business manufacturers must manufacture. I am not clear on where the cost of great sound is going down in the high end audio business, however, considering the increased price of the Ref5.

Perhaps it is like the wine business and consumption in the U.S. in which there are now plenty of pretty darn good and improved wines to be had at reasonable prices, however the cost of Lafitte, Latour have gone to the stratosphere.

The price of Lafite or Latour goes up. The only one in audio which doesn't devaluate with the years ?
FM Acoustics

same equation for Audio = cars

in the moment you pay it, you loose 30% of the money you put in

Actually McIntosh goes up too. However it's all about no compromise quality and for the money ARC is right up at the top.

Agree.. At their price point, Ref.3 in their days was the one to beat, and I believe even more so their Ref.5 now with the said vast improvements made.