Best ARC Solid State power to match ARC Ref 5 Pre

ARC's preamps can be very, very good, but their amps are quite overrated in my opinion - they all use copious amounts of global feedback, whether tube or solid-state, and while generally transparent and resolving, feature the closed-in dead quality and two-dimensionality that amps using feedback suffer from. In addition, many of their pentode-based tube amps cut corners in ways that are inexcusable given their price, such as the lack of individual biasing for tube pairs. In any event, stay as far away as possible from ARC's digital amps with Wilsons - I know a fellow with a new ARC digital amp (I think it's the DS225) and Sophias and it is exactly as I would have expected - that Focal tweeter with a digital amp is just awful.

No-global-feedback amps, such as darTZeel or Ayre, tend to be very expensive. If they are beyond your budget, I would look at the Rowland Model 2/6/8/9 series, which can be had for very reasonable prices on the used market. Like ARC gear, they are fully differential balanced. I agree that the Lamm solid-state amps are very fine, but they are quite expensive, even used, and the Class A-biased model runs really hot. Both Lamm and Rowland work well with Wilson, especially Lamm (Wilson and Lamm have frequently shown together at CES's).

I have a friend with a Ref 5 - it's a really fine preamp once broken in.

Raquel, with all due respect, I cannot join with your opinion about ARC amps. I own an ARC VS 115 amp and I love it. Perhaps I think it sounds so good because I drive it with an ARC Ref 3 line stage and I am benefiting from synergy. I can't say.

Now . . . as far as negative feedback is concerned, I raised this question before on A'gon Forum. I also asked about other "specs" such as damping factor, rise time and skew rate and so forth. I mention this because the consensus opinion that was offered by the techies was that one should not rate the quality of an amp based upon any spec in a vacume. The techies explained that amp electronics designers have to weigh and balance many attributes when designing an optimal architecure. Thus, even though the VS-115 employs 12 db of negative feedback, one of the commentators said that it was not a lot in light of the amp's other attributes. I tried to find that post for you but couldn't find it in a pinch.

The techies also said that what's most important is how does the amp in question sound. Based on that standard, IMHO, the VS-115 sounds great. A number of knowledgeable members, including one who is an ARC dealer, said the VS--15 sounded about 85% as good as the recently discontinued Ref 110.

Now, I wax so much about the VS-115 NOT because I am looking for anyone's buy in or approval. Instead, I have owned the amp for about 2 years and am thoroughly familiar with it. Oh, BTW, ARC just released the new Ref 150 which is supposed to be phenominal. Per ARC's web site, the Ref 150 employs 14 db of NF, so I guess that means my VS 115 is better than the Ref 150. NOT!

Rapogee, I don't recall seeing that you mentioned how much you want to spend for your SS amp. As I recall from the "buzz," I have a faint recollection that ARC amps mate very well with Wilson speakers. In fact, if you check the ARC and ARCDB web sites, I believe ARC uses Wilson speakers in their sound rooms. Check it for yourself, but I think you would be happy with an ARC amp, be it tube or SS.

One last comment if I may, I believe that system synergy is very real and very important. My bias (pun not intended) is that if I owned a Ref 5, I would try to mate it with an ARC amp. Right now, used Ref 110s are finding their way into the used equipment market, especially as ARC continues to roll out the Ref 150. As I said, I don't recall you mentioning how much you want to spend, but if you already own the Ref 5, IMHO, I would really think about an ARC amp, especially tube.

Raquel, That's your opinion and I also disagree. I have owned many amplifiers over the years and Audio Research amplifiers are one of my favorites. I have owned all types including all tube, hybrid and solid state and Audio Research never fails to impress.

Bywynne:

If you have the opportunity, try to get a darTZeel, Ayre, Rowland 625, or no-feedback triode tube amp into your system to compare to your ARC. There are indeed a lot of different factors that affect amplifier performance, but some are more important than others and global feedback is now known to be genuinely harmful to natural sound. The vast majority of designers still use it, however, because it's quite difficult to make a circuit stable, particularly a high-powered amp circuit, without global feedback, and most people buying amps don't know the difference.

Last month, I spent four nights in a row with a good friend and his all-Audio Research system, including VTM 200 monoblocks, plus big Wilsons in his large, purpose-built two-channel room. He recently demo'd a darTZeel and a new darTZeel is now on the way to him. 12 db. of global feedback is a lot, but even 2 db. changes the presentation - the difference is not subtle.

Just what we need. Another $18,000 solid state amplifier that's supposed to sound like a tube amp.