In audio, it seems that a manufacturer gets one chance to do well, and that’s it.
Back in the 90s I had an Audio Research SP-9 preamp. It was not particularly good: details were obscured by the noise floor, and there was little depth to the soundstage. Its tonality was hard and neutral--certainly not warmish. Also, I could hear crosstalk among the inputs. I kept it for a couple of months, then traded it back in to the dealer for a much better product (not by ARC).
Audio Research may make better products today. But I’ll never go there again. Don’t know, don’t care.