Newbie needs help on Audio Research and DynAudio Quality



Hello all,

 

I am a newbie to high end home audio and need help from all of you audiophiles out there. I was actually into high end car audio back to when I was younger so I kinda understand what sound quality level can be considered at audiophile standard. I bought this set up (2 mono amps Audio Research Classic 120, Audio Research LS22 preamp, Dynaudio Contour 1.8 mkII, Rega Planet CD player) 4 years ago and did not have time and room to put them up to enjoy until recently. After setting them up last week, I was very disappointed at the performance. The sound was harsh and I would get tired after listening to 2-3 songs. I remember when I picked up the speakers, the previous owner played a couple of songs using his turntable and it was warm, clear and enjoyable (I could not remember what equipment he had back then). I have another set of solid state stuff to play around which includes Luxman M-12 amplifier, Sansui CA-2000 preamp, JBL 4311B, and same CD player Rega Planet. The sound quality is much better compared to ARC set. I expect that the ARC set at least has to be at entry level of audiophile but what I got out from it is disappointing. I need help from you experts to point out what is wrong or what I should expect from Audio Research.

Best Regards,

Dan


sqlover
I have a pair of Classic 150 and don't even bother listening to them until they have warmed up playing music for at least 1 hour, before that they sound harsh.

They sounded great with my Dynaudio Mirage
20 year old amps spending 4 years sitting around waiting for the day of judgement? Leave them running for 24 hours and try again. 
They are pretty high resolution amps and you may just be hearing harsh digital recordings as they are. Assuming all is healthy (tubes and caps), look at speaker placement - try straight ahead and closer together rather than toed in with tweeters pointing at your ears.

You should also check tube bias, again make adjustments as they warm up, low fan setting, they become stabile after about 1 hour