Audio Research is launching new products, "The Foundation Series"

... and sometimes the BIG CORPS actually have more resources to put towards R&D, materials and quality control and actually deliver a superior product.

If the GS 150, and Ref Phono 3 are any indication of ARC’s focus on the "bottom line" I’d be jockeying for a position at the front of the line. I find their latest offerings to be outstanding. Over the last several years ARC has exhibited a commitment to allowing the advancements in their "ultra-high-end" gear to trickle down into the rest of the line which has resulted in remarkable performance in many of their latest product offerings. I couldn’t be more pleased.

Tubes 444 is right. ARC was once great. Now owned and distributed in conjunction by Fine Sounds and Sumiko. Other brands owned by Fine Sounds include - McIntosh, Sonus Faber, Pro Ject, and Wadia.  

Fine Sounds was owned by Quadrivio an Italian Private Equity Fund who's major portfolio at the time was quick serve restaurant chains in Europe. In turn McIntosh facilitated the buy out of Fine Sounds by Yarpa, an investment bank in Italy, and LBO France, a Leveraged By Out company.

Having sold off Fine Sounds, Quadrivio is now investing in Bio Tech with another entity from Yarpa.  It seems like the debt was redistributed between all of these companies, who have little to no interest in the audio industry, except for perhaps McIntosh who secured themselves a management bond.

The result  of this is that companies who at one time produced Exceptional Products have been homogenized and eviscerated. They are forced to produce sub par products that are repackaged and hyped up to sell to the uninformed consumer, the majority who ultimately suffers.

The best audio systems I have seen have all taken time to put together with older components. The newest is not always the best. It is the harmonious combination of products that you amass.  If you get a great product it should last a life time.  My $.02, for what its worth. 

So when was ARC bought out by the conglomerate,before or after the ref 5se and ref 210s.Built 2008 & 2011 I think.

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If the quality of Audio Research products started to slip or stagnate, that information would spread through the audio world in an instant.  Not long thereafter, sales would crater.  I think Audio Research will be okay.
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Sid1, did you ever get the LS27, if so thoughts, I am thinking of doing the same