The legendary American-made tube amplifier manufacturer, Audio Research Company (ARC), has landed in the Seattle Area at Jaguar Audio. Based in the Minneapolis area, ARC was founded in 1970 and has many artisans and engineers who have been producing these components for decades. Despite being around for almost sixty years, ARC is also a recent success story. A few years ago, after a period of poor management, ARC was about to be sold off for parts, and all of its amazing team members dismissed. However, Val Cora, owner of Acora Acoustics speaker company, who regularly partnered with Audio Research at HiFi shows, was a huge fan of the company and its components, and stepped in to take over the company. Val is a brilliant guy, and after just a few years of the company’s new lease on life, ARC has released completely revamped product lines that sound as good as ever. Check out the YouTube videos below to meet the people with the company and learn more.
ARC tube amplifiers are often associated with certain sonic qualities because of their longtime focus on designs with the 6H30 tube, a Soviet-era military tube from the mid-80s. The sonic presentation of the 6H30 is not like that of earlier preamp tubes, such as the 6SN7, which have a thicker midrange and a comparably warmer sound. The 6H30 is more neutral, faster, and has an extended frequency range. The Soviet DR tubes from the 1980s are some of the best-sounding tubes out there, but their prices have skyrocketed in the past several years.
The magic of an ARC tube amp or preamp is different than the warm, glowing character like what you hear with a 300B amp. The ARC sound is neutral, dense, and it just envelops you. You don’t get fatiguing or overly forward sound. Everything is palpable, present, and realistic.
The most popular Audio Research amplifiers are their 50-watt I/55 and 70-watt I/70 integrated amplifiers. The I/55 can power many speakers and the I/70 can power just about any. These two models can be considered the best value in the Audio Research line… components that an owner can play for a lifetime of musical enjoyment. Both models contain a headphone amplifier, and optional internal DAC and Phono Preamplifier, for an all-in-one system.
Audio Research is known for tube amps, but they also make two outstanding solid-state models that came out recently, the S-100 and S-200. The S-200 includes a meter display on the front panel and has twice the power; otherwise the two amps are the same. Your choice of model would depend on the speakers you want to pair with the amp, and Jaguar can help you figure this out.
These solid-state amps are an excellent match for Audio Research tube preamplifiers, such as the LS-2. Solid-state with tubes creates a bit of yin and yang synergy, and the increased power of these amps makes for a less-expensive way to open the door to a reference system with speakers that demand more power.
Reference-level tube amplifiers are how Audio Research became a legend. Jaguar uses the Audio Research D-80 power amp, with our pair of Estelon X-Diamond SE speakers in our reference system. The D-80 is a streamlined version of the Reference 80… same tubes and basic circuitry, but it doesn’t have the front-panel meter display, the RCA inputs, or the capability to operate in Single-Ended-Triode (SET) mode. This amp makes dreamy sound and has lots of power; it’s the real deal, with the performance you’ll find in other amps costing twice as much.
The ARC Ref line delivers the ultimate combination of performance and features. The primary difference between the Ref models is the output power, which ranges from 80 watts with the Ref 80 and up to 660 watts with the Ref 330M monoblock amps. Jaguar will advise you on which of these models is the best choice for your system.
Of course, Audio Research isn’t only amplifiers. The company makes amazing preamplifiers and source components that go very well with their amplifiers. Jaguar will be using the new Audio Research Reference 7 Preamplifier in our reference system when it starts shipping soon. The Reference 7 is the little brother of the new Reference 20, which will be a dual-enclosure unit, with separate power supply. Word has it that the Reference 7 even outperforms ARC’s prior ultimate preamp, the dual-enclosure Reference 10. Audio Research also manufactures a fantastic tube DAC, and a range of tube phono preamplifiers.
Audio Research components are heirloom products that can be used for decades and handed down to generations. Made in the USA by craftsmen who are passional about the pursuit of perfection… look at how beautifully the circuit boards are laid out. The sound speaks for itself. Check out these remarkable products at the link below, and contact Jaguar with your questions.