Audio Research 100.2 amp

I used to own a 100.2 amp myself. I like it very much. It was a sleeper in the Audio Research line (the Audio Research tubes amps got all the attention). I got a good deal on a Berning ZH 270 and the rest is history. The ZH 270 is truly world class!

It's an amazing amp. I've had one for years now and I can't get over just how much it does right. Even if I one day upgrade from it, I'll still keep it as a backup. It's just that good. Enjoy!

Yep, a true "gem" indeed. After listening to it for a few weeks now, I love it even more. No grain, no harshness, just pure music that flows out of it. Seems to mate very well to many speakers (I tried 3 different pairs, Dynaudio, Sonus Faber, Magnepan). Really can't find any faults at all with it, to beat this one, you must go all the way up to the top and pay 8-10x the price (at the used prices it's selling for now).

I owned one for quite a while and only sold it because it I needed more power for my new, larger speakers . The sound was spectacular and I really did not want to let it go. I replaced the 100.2 with a 150.2 after using a buddy's 150.2 on a trial basis for several weeks. Despite some reservations about the 150.2 I published on the A'gon a while back, (after a flawed A-B comparison between the two amps), I have really found the 150.2 to be equal to the 100.2 while running cool as can be. The 100.2 has a slightly more tubelike presentation--warmer thru the midrange, totally grainless but with less authority and control in the bass than the 150.2. The newer 150.2 gives up only a little in the mids, being more neutral and clean but otherwise is as good or better than the 100.2 it replaced in all other respects. As a digital switching amp the 150.2 runs much more efficiently and, I suspect, is more durable over the long haul due to the low operating temperatures. I have to say that for my setup the 150.2 is really the better choice and the fact that it runs so cool is icing on the cake. Plus, the 150.2 doesn't have quite the cult following of the 100.2 and can therefore be picked up for the same or less money on the used market.