Need to learn about Audio Research
Still exploring amps and preamps to go with my Magnepan 3.7i.
I've always heard about Audio Research being a great match, but I'm not familiar with the brand at all.
I'll need to shop the used market since the new gear is way out of my price range.
I am looking for a high power (100wpc +) amp and a preamp that has remote control. I'd like the preamp to be tube, and the amp could be either solid state or tube.
I don't know at what point in the model lineup remote control was added, but it appears most of the older gear did not have a remote.
Any AR experts here?
Not to mention his "we don't actually listen to our amplifiers, we let our customers do that". He described his amplifiers in engineering terms "unconditionally stable into any load". I am a bit surprised that nobody has done a digital version of the Quad ESL-63 but then very few seem to understand the principle behind the eight concentric rings with their time delays ... |
@traudio you have some great equipment. The Hegel is a great integrated. I agree that it is likely silly to put a tube pre in front of it but if you are already planning on going the separates route, you might by the pre first, try it, might surprise you. Hegel makes great amps and the amp in your integrated can drive most speakers without issue. Now, preference on the sound signature difference between the amps is a different animal, for sure you might prefer the sound signature / pairing with your Maggie’s if you swap amps / pre’s. I have compared Tube amps / pre’s to SS. I’ve landed on liking a tube pre with SS. As others have mentioned, can give you the best of both worlds. Pass, Krell, Coda would all be great pairings with your Maggie’s, known to drive difficult speakers loads across a wide range, handle dips into the 2 ohm range. A couple of less expensive options would be Parasound and Music Fidelity, both design SS amps that are great at driving difficult loads and punch well above their weight class. A Parasound A21 was my fist serous 2 channel price of equipment, added into my HT set up, starting me down the 2 channel rabbit hole, great amp. Adding Subs would be my first move, before changing up your pre / amp. Those would be a game changer. Might find that with the subs, you love the Hegel handling the mids and highs. Good Luck! |
mm1tt77
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I have an ARC REF 6 paired with a Pass 250.8 that drive Wilson Sabrina X's. I am very happy with the sound of the combo. I get the great tube sound of the ARC and the smooth power of the Pass. I have about 4000 hrs on the ARC, no problems with it at all. Of course, everything in a system matters, so who knows? Your room acoustics, cabling or DAC may change things up significantly. |
