Audio Research Saved!


I was talking with a friendly at ARC yesterday and asked about ARC's financial status. He told me that an individual who is an audiophile and an ARC loyalist has purchased 100% of the company, is injecting a substantial amount of cash and ARC is now solvent, and developing and building their excellent product with no compromise. Apparently there is a press release coming soon. 

This makes total sense as the ARC brand is worth a lot of money and worth saving. I'm sure a lot of wealthy ARC lovers would be in line to own this magnificent marque. If I didn't have to move to the tundra to run it I would be a buyer as well. 2 months of summer is about 7 months too few for my old bones.  

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Adding more cash to a failing business will just delay the ineveitable unless changes are made.

That is indeed good news but I hope it is coupled with a change in their business model. ARC has frustrated many loyalists with the release of new "improved" models far too frequently, pushing down resale values for those who are left holding the bag after the new model is announced. Also, and related, ARC has reliability issues that are often inexcusable for gear at this price point. I hope the new owner will rethink the model (and ARC isn't alone in their approach) and focus on turning out high quality, great sounding, reliable gear with new model introductions preserved for improvements that offer meaningful performance enhancements.