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Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ |
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Tubes Asylum Questions about tubes and gear that glows. FAQ |
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In Reply to: Audio Research D250 vs Classic 60 vs V70 posted by Peter Earnshaw on June 1, 2001 at 11:41:53:
My second tube amp was the ARC D-70MkII, which I belive is the tiny cousin to the D250. Back in my college days (and the heyday of the Classic 60) I used to work for an ARC Dealer, so I have quite a bit of experience with the Classic 60. A year after I graduated and left for the bright lights of the city, I bought a V70 which I still own and use today. I have also owned or own Krell and Spectral SS amps.While the D-70 was a revalation when compared with my fist amp (Dynaco Stereo 70), it couldn't hold a candle to the Classic 60, which I feel is one of the biggest bargains in used audio today.
During my stint with the ARC dealer in college, I used a Krell KST-100 and then a KSA-100s in my personal system because I was an idiot going through an expensive solid state phase that lasted until I last year. During that phase, something told me to try the ARC again so I bought the V70. It was far superior to my old D-70 and to the newer Krells. Not even really in the same class of performance. It managed to do everything right EXCEPT I missed the solid state bass slam. So I bought very expensive Spectrals, which I convinced myself were the equal of the V70 in every way but also gave me the bass slam I was looking for.
After buying the Spectrals, I lent my V70 to my Dad. I got it back last year and discovered that I had been lying to myself all along. The V70 is a fantastic all rounder and even has enough bass slam to be credible. I discovered that I just hadn't had the right pre-amp or speakers at the time.
As for the differences between the V70 and Classic 60, ARC says that they are the same amp with the exception of the power-up circuitry and the fact the the V70 is all balanced (and has no single-ended inputs). Many claim that the V70 sounds different in a bad way (more analytical is usually the word) but I belive that most of that "bad" difference can be boiled down to the fact that the V70 shipped with Sovtek 6550s instead of decent KT88s, KT90s, KT91s or (even decent 6550s for that matter). Also many people used the cheapie balanced to SE connectors instead of buying the expensive ARC BL-1, 2, or 3 converters and therefore compromised the sound quality. I think the sales and reputation of the amp suffered because of a poor choice of OEM tube and ARC's failure to put single ended inputs on the damn thing (REALLY STOOPID MOVE).
If you run this amp with a balanced preamp and slap some good power tubes in it, it kills at under $2000, and is more reliable than the Classic 60 (which wasn't a disaster but also wasn't trouble free). Keep in mind that the replacement tubes must be very precisely matched but I think ARC charges WAY too much for tubes so you may want to shop around.
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Follow Ups
- Re: Audio Research D250 vs Classic 60 vs V70 - gadsons 11:53:40 06/06/01 (0)
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