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Complete with six finish choices, Nixie tubes, available modules for phono and DAC. I think the US price is $5000. I'm not a big fan of all-in-one designs but it might appeal to some.
For touting themselves as HIFI as much as they do, they sure did not inform the marketing department.
Tube amp and turntable on an ancient railroad cart? We had six of those in our factory for hauling boxes... they shake like crazy.
I have owned about 7 ARC amps. I do not like the aesthetic direction they are heading in, but hey, I am not selling them either.
I have to say I find Audio Research to have a consistently "natural", "real" signature. The recent products add to that increased transparency, speed, and resolution without becoming sterile, like solid state usually is.
If you like thick and slow, or a midrange emphasis, no, ARC is not for you.
The biggest improvement I notice with the latest arc gear is a much greater sense of nuance. The musician's intent and intensity is much more obvious. This is pretty much the same feeling the last couple stereophile reviews had also on 6, 6se, and 160 amps.
I noticed in the ARC webpages that they use a "fake" sort of Nixie Tube they call LexieTube. Looks like LED dots in a glass vacuum tube like enclosure.What is it? Was this device actually created by ARC? Is the name trademarked or not?
Edits: 11/11/21
I think the Lixie tube trademark is fun and registering it with the PTO makes sense. It's an obvious play on the Nixie tube (plus LED) and it's used for the same purposes - mostly as decorative clocks but with some broader potential applications.Perhaps ARC dropped the attempt to register "LexieTube" because it was deemed confusingly similar at this point with the Lixie name, which would disqualify its registration. Or perhaps they let it lapse two years ago because they just weren't ready to use it (though you can file with an intent to use affidavit). Or maybe they just don't want to pay the cost of registration and would rather see if it gains public recognition first.
You can always claim common law trademark protection once the public associates a name with your product. There are risks, but it's free. After all, the use of LexieTube as a display on audio equipment is very limited and that trade name doesn't seem to add much value to ARC's brand recognition.
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"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
Edits: 11/12/21
so they finally figured it out, that's way cool. I remember my HS 1st computer had nixie's
I've had a few ARC pieces in my system over the years and learned that the "ARC house sound" is not for me. Sounds more like thin solid-state to me.I owned three ARC preamps and three ARC amps over the decades. Only one of the ARC pieces was decent sounding to my taste - the VT-100mkII - but that was because I was driving it with another brand of tube preamp to give it a hint of full-bodied richness. Otherwise it was a bit lean.
I also owned the ARC VSi-60 integrated in my office system but my Rogue Cronus Magnum at half the price sounds much better. Both were outfitted with KT-120 power tubes.
My Rogue side-by-side with my VSi-60 in 2016:
Bought the ARC VSi-60 used then sold it after a couple months. I still own the Rogue Cronus Magnum.
Edits: 11/11/21
Too SS sounding!
The older ARC products had a more natural sound.
And I have to "roll " the tubes on most ARC products made after the mid 80's to get good sound.
nt
I think the price is OK so long as it sounds excellent, but it would have to depart from the traditional ARC house sound and it would have to sound noticeably better than the Cronus Magnum, and that's a tall task.
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"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
Well, there is the price and then there is the net cost. I remember when people said Audio Note was expensive but after 18 years with my OTO Phono SE integrated amplifier I can now sell it for $500 MORE than I paid for it back then. Maybe I could have bought a Chinese amplifier for $500 less than I paid for the OTO but I'd probably lose $1k selling it - so the OTO which costs a bit more and sounds a lot better also costs less overall. ARC will hold its value better.
Although I am in full agreement - every time I hear ARC or BAT or other high power PP tube amps I sort of think "SS sounding" so why go through the hassle and expense of tubes when for a lot less money you can buy a good SS or Class D amplifier - which usually weigh less (especially the latter) and offer far more power?
I've always been more of a fan of going with a SET amplifier and then for the big power - SS or Class D. Push-Pull tube amps (especially the KT88/KT90 and KT 120 etc) don't have the magic of a SET and don't have the power of SS/D.
I did like the Audio Note Cobra which is a PP EL34 with onboard DAC and remote control and it's less expensive than this ARC (though the ARC has more features like an onboard phono stage and home theatre bypass, and I like the look of the ARC much better. Bedroom system perhaps?
You are certainly correct that the ARC Abe own(s)(ed) will hold its value better than the Rogue, but then again, who cares if it sounds like a thin solid state amp? The Rogue Cronus Magnum amps sound wonderful (I have a CMII) and is an exception to your perception of high powered PP tube amps, all in my opinion and to my ears, that is. It doesn't have a particularly lush or bloomy sound, but it is open and airy with none of the hardness of solid state. YMMV.
I also have found the Conrad Johnson PP tube amps to be an exception to your rule, at least when paired with the right equipment. I have't listened to the newest models, but the CAV50, MV55 and Premier 11A are great choices on the used market. The Premier 11A has a leaner and faster sound with 6550 tubes than the others, but boy does it sing in my system with Devore Super Nines and a Rogue RP-5 preamp. It is neither solid state sounding, nor "polite" sounding as Abe experienced in his system. And yet it does have a bit more tube magic than the CMII. I also loved the sound of the original EL34 MV60 but found the MV60E to sound dry and etched (but that was in a different system). Dunno if those qualify as high power, but they're certainly more flexible than SET.
I love the looks of this new integrated though, and wouldn't balk at the price if it sounds as good as it looks. But it'd have to depart from the more traditional ARC house sound for sure (for me anyway).
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"If you are the owner of a new stereophonic system, this record will play with even more brilliant true-to-life fidelity. In short, you can purchase this record with no fear of its becoming obsolete in the future."
I also wondered about that price. There are a number of integrated amps with similar features and power ratings costing far less than $5000. I do like the look.
If it's up to par with their history it probably does what it's supposed to with ease and authority.
Amazing to see such a vivid physical paradigm shift from AR!
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
How many remote control devices do you own? I've already got remotes for my CD player, flat screen TV, satellite TV box, VCR, wireless speakers, table radio, air conditioner, floor lamps, and fans. Figuring out which is which gets kinda complicated...
:)
And you forgot the remote for that little vacuum that runs around the floor when you're trying to watch TV
A simple review:
https://www.ecoustics.com/products/audio-research-i50-integrated-amplifier/
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