Considering switching from Audio Research to PrimaLuna, troube with VS115 amp

Btw, Uncle Kev, being a man of average bordering on above average intelligence, I get your Rolex analogy, but don't agree it's true most of the time, particularly with the reputable brands. Look inside the Oyster case of an ARC Ref 6 and tell me that you're not impressed. And sometimes the inside looks plain and mostly empty and yet many hours were spent assembling, testing, and getting incredible sound, like Belles or the Pass Aleph series. I think there's a lot of truth in your clever refreshing advertising and a little pure marketing mixed in.

"But PrimaLuna wanted the best sound and I think what they have supplied is pretty damn nice "

Isn't "they"  you & your partner, Kevin?

I try to stick with the facts. That way it can’t be called marketing, which is what I loathe most in my industry. The most reputable brands are at times the worst abusers, because nobody questions them. Look at speakers. It was 15 years ago that a $100,000 speaker was almost crazy. Now it’s ho-hum. One "reputable" brand offering up a $675,000 speaker. For a speaker???? Oh...but it’s "Limited" to 75 pairs. Jeepers thanks for that. A Pagani Zonda S Super Car was limited 15 units, but sold for $500,000. What costs more to engineer and build: A pair of speakers or a hand-made super-car....with a nice stereo in it, and a pair of custom-made driving shoes made by The Pope’s cobbler???

I take preamps apart all the time. I simply follow the signal path to see what they do. There are no new designs in preamps. Nothing has changed for decades.

And there is a lot of BS. For example when I hear a manufacturer say "mimimalist design" , that actually means fewer parts. Fewer parts should mean a lower price. Right? Nope. Dennis Had from Cary felt the best preamp he designed had two gain tubes and a 6CA4 rectifier tube. And was $1500. I benched it here and indeed it was the best testing preamp in a shootout we did.

I also see things that are flat out wrong, from reputable companies that SHOULD know better. The idea of a line stage preamp having 23, 27 or even 30dB of gain is silly. Yet it happens. When you use a preamp, you are usually DROPPING gain by at least 6dB in normal use. Then people wonder why they have noise and microphony problems.

FYI your ARC isn’t one of them. They know what they’re doing. And no doubt it’s a great preamp.

One more comment: Take a preamp that was considered top drawer in 1984, and put the price of that preamp into an inflation calculator. A flagship two chassis preamp with phono stage included was $3700. Inflation adjusted that would be $8886 today. Two chassis. Phono stage included. It's worth pondering.  

"But PrimaLuna wanted the best sound and I think what they have supplied is pretty damn nice "

Isn't "they"  you & your partner, Kevin?

Of course!  Why do you think I'm answering?  I don't own the company.  Let's make that clear.  But I'm ecstatic to be involved because I love tube gear so much and if I can help somebody make that leap...even if it's not with my company...I'm happy!  People need to try a tube amp once in their life.  

Is the plant where these are made (a "subsidiary of an large areospace company")   owned by the Chinese government or the PLA?  I ask since most of the aerospace firms in China are state owned.