ARC announces price increase effective Mid-March '24

[treitz3]

Let's please talk about the post (topic) of the thread versus the poster.

This is not directed at anyone in particular.

Tom

 

[Kingsrule]

Guys, Just a clarifying FYI:

AR does not refer to Audio Research Corporation

AR = Acoustic Research

ARC = Audio Research Corporation (Audio Research for short)

 

[2fastdriving]

I always liked Auidio Research. Tofastdriving has one of the best Wilson based stereo I have heard. He has the Ref 160M amps. I love the way that system plays with them. I far prefer it over the SS power I have heard to Wilsons in other systems. I don't see any way to bash on AR for anything related to performance.

Thank you Rex! I'm pretty happy with it. I don't get all the bashing on this thread. Probably jealousy.

 

[WillBthr]

ARCDS is real.

 

[Dave Gordon]

ARCDS is real.

What is ARCDS?

 

[WillBthr]

2fastdriving said, "I don't get all the bashing on this thread."
ARC Derangement Syndrome

 

[brad225]

2fastdriving said, "I don't get all the bashing on this thread."
ARC Derangement Syndrome

I resemble that remark

 

[treitz3]

ARC makes some very fine products. If you have experience with the gear? Feel free to respond. If you don't? Kindly move on....

Tom

 

[Kingrex]

ARC makes some very fine products. If you have experience with the gear? Feel free to respond. If you don't? Kindly move on....

Tom

Sheriff Rosco Pete Coltrane has laid down the law.

 

[Another Johnson]

Sheriff Rosco Pete Coltrane has laid down the law.

The P stood for Purvis in the original movie (Moonrunners). In the later TV use (Dukes of Hazzard), it was just belatedly added to give one more syllable for dramatic effect.

I don’t see any similarity . The moderator’s suggestion is a good one, and sadly, needed.

 

[Djcxxx]

ARCDB ---- ARC Data Base. Not DS. Good catalog resource for official ARC publications and photos from previous years. Maintained by a fellow from the Netherlands I believe.

ARCDB

The Audio Research Database (ARCDB) provides information about past and present products from ARC (Audio Research Corporation)

www.arcdb.ws

 

[gleeds]

Good morning everyone.
I do not know Val well, but as an industry participant, I know he is an astute businessman. He has undoubtedly studied ARC's costs and concluded that this is where the company needs to be to be sustainable. Parts costs are only one driver of the cost of goods sold, and those manufacturers that prescribe the parts cost times X method of pricing are sadly driving blind and do not understand what it costs them to make a product.

I agree it is bold to institute a 25% increase, but you can also bet with Val at the helm, that ARC intends to stay in business for the long run. When ARC was on the brink of disappearing, customers and dealers were understandably worried about how and if their investment would be supported. Now, you can be reasonably assured that your ARC equipment will be provided with service, support, and decent resale value for years to come. To me, that infers measurable value to the end user.

The market will evaluate ARC against its competition, including other great American tube-based brands like VAC and CJ. People like Val and Kevin are not in this business to be robber barons; they are in it for the passion and to make a fair return on their investment of time, knowledge, and commitment to their customers. The bottom line is making shit is hard, and staying in business in a slow-growth and unpredictable industry like high-end audio is even harder.

 

[Dave Gordon]

Good morning everyone.
I do not know Val well, but as an industry participant, I know he is an astute businessman. He has undoubtedly studied ARC's costs and concluded that this is where the company needs to be to be sustainable. Parts costs are only one driver of the cost of goods sold, and those manufacturers that prescribe the parts cost times X method of pricing are sadly driving blind and do not understand what it costs them to make a product.

I agree it is bold to institute a 25% increase, but you can also bet with Val at the helm, that ARC intends to stay in business for the long run. When ARC was on the brink of disappearing, customers and dealers were understandably worried about how and if their investment would be supported. Now, you can be reasonably assured that your ARC equipment will be provided with service, support, and decent resale value for years to come. To me, that infers measurable value to the end user.

The market will evaluate ARC against its competition, including other great American tube-based brands like VAC and CJ. People like Val and Kevin are not in this business to be robber barons; they are in it for the passion and to make a fair return on their investment of time, knowledge, and commitment to their customers. The bottom line is making shit is hard, and staying in business in a slow-growth and unpredictable industry like high-end audio is even harder.

Thank you, Gary, you hit the nail on the head. This looks easy, just as running an audio store looks easy, but it is not. Fortunately, the right owner found us, appreciating our legacy and what we represent.
We reduced the price increase to an average of 16.8% in North America, some more and some less. It was not easy, but necessary to continue building our products our way in the US.

 

[gleeds]

Thank you, Gary, you hit the nail on the head. This looks easy, just as running an audio store looks easy, but it is not. Fortunately, the right owner found us, appreciating our legacy and what we represent.
We reduced the price increase to an average of 16.8% in North America, some more and some less. It was not easy, but necessary to continue building our products our way in the US.

Dave, you will appreciate that I began my audio adventures with Mike Kaye of Lyric Hi-Fi in 1974 as a teenager. Mike introduced me to the wonders of high-fidelity sound with Maggie Tympany's tri-amplified by D-76 amplifiers, with an SP-3 and ARC crossover. I have remained a fan ever since and am glad the company is in steady hands. Best of luck in the days and years ahead!

 

[Dierkx1]

Dave, you will appreciate that I began my audio adventures with Mike Kaye of Lyric Hi-Fi in 1974 as a teenager. Mike introduced me to the wonders of high-fidelity sound with Maggie Tympany's tri-amplified by D-76 amplifiers, with an SP-3 and ARC crossover. I have remained a fan ever since and am glad the company is in steady hands. Best of luck in the days and years ahead!

My journey began in 1975 with a D76 and SP-3a-1 driving KLH 9's while in high school. I remember 10 or so friends gathering in my cramped bedroom listening to the Grateful Dead. 43 years later, I was listening to the Grateful Dead on Xstatic EC-3 electrostatics driven by REF5SE and REF150SE. I don't currently have ARC, but I may be tempted again.

 

[PHAA_]

I own and use an SP17. 6H30. No, not balanced; not reference. New $3,495 back in the day and whatever that translates to in today's dollars...... I say that just for those who insist you have to own (it) to express an opinion.

In 2024 the cost of literally everything is ridiculous including the cost to exist as a business. That's just where we are. It is what it is.

No, I am not "rich". Could I pay cash for something in ARC's current line up...today? Yes. Am I going to? No. Why? My wife and I are now a few years into our "dream" home; a 100+ year old Victorian. That is where most of our "want to spend" currency is going and happily so. I have almost pulled the trigger on a REF75 (and DAC9) several times and likely will in a year or so, if I can find one. If we had stayed in our previous house would I now have a rack of new ARC gear? Probably.

Since I was in my 20's, when I bothered to read Stereophile, I have always been excited by and drooled over ARC gear. McIntosh never did it for me. (Aesthetically, McIntosh reminds me of old Peavey solid state guitar amplifiers that I loathed.) Everybody's got there own thing. I guess my point is that there are people out there who are very much still excited about the brand (its new and old products) and enjoy being in or dream about being in the owner's club. Timing is important. A better economy, which 2025 may turn out to be, very well could change everybody's everything. I'm not much for sour grapes and bemoaning. There is always the used market. Not knowing the ARC sound (which changed a couple of times), I was cautious several years ago. I purchased the SP17 used. If I didn't like it, I wasn't going to be out that much. If I did, which I do, I got a bargain. As such, when the time comes, I will have few qualms plunking down the cash for new. In addition, they are still willing to service much of their older gear. I called them and verified this. That's a huge plus for me. (Side note: I also retain a strange crush on SAE (A1001)/SST(Ambrosia 2000 2nd ed., Ampzilla 2000 2nd ed.).)

Sound., I can see it not being everyone's cup of tea. Tube sound isn't everyone's cup of tea whether it is the "classic" tube sound or the "modern" tube sound. ARC isn't for everyone. I get it. It does not mean that the company should disappear or does not have the right to keep doing what they're doing and do what it takes to keep doing what they're doing.

Lastly, I run helter skelter from hype and buzz and mob-think. That's not what makes my heart all a'flutter. What puts a smile on my face is a component that I truly enjoy listening to music through 5, 10, 15 years later because it still works and still sounds good, very good.

Just my opinion/thoughts.

 

[Dave Gordon]

I own and use an SP17. 6H30. No, not balanced; not reference. New $3,495 back in the day and whatever that translates to in today's dollars...... I say that just for those who insist you have to own (it) to express an opinion.

In 2024 the cost of literally everything is ridiculous including the cost to exist as a business. That's just where we are. It is what it is.

No, I am not "rich". Could I pay cash for something in ARC's current line up...today? Yes. Am I going to? No. Why? My wife and I are now a few years into our "dream" home; a 100+ year old Victorian. That is where most of our "want to spend" currency is going and happily so. I have almost pulled the trigger on a REF75 (and DAC9) several times and likely will in a year or so, if I can find one. If we had stayed in our previous house would I now have a rack of new ARC gear? Probably.

Since I was in my 20's, when I bothered to read Stereophile, I have always been excited by and drooled over ARC gear. McIntosh never did it for me. (Aesthetically, McIntosh reminds me of old Peavey solid state guitar amplifiers that I loathed.) Everybody's got there own thing. I guess my point is that there are people out there who are very much still excited about the brand (its new and old products) and enjoy being in or dream about being in the owner's club. Timing is important. A better economy, which 2025 may turn out to be, very well could change everybody's everything. I'm not much for sour grapes and bemoaning. There is always the used market. Not knowing the ARC sound (which changed a couple of times), I was cautious several years ago. I purchased the SP17 used. If I didn't like it, I wasn't going to be out that much. If I did, which I do, I got a bargain. As such, when the time comes, I will have few qualms plunking down the cash for new. In addition, they are still willing to service much of their older gear. I called them and verified this. That's a huge plus for me. (Side note: I also retain a strange crush on SAE (A1001)/SST(Ambrosia 2000 2nd ed., Ampzilla 2000 2nd ed.).)

Sound., I can see it not being everyone's cup of tea. Tube sound isn't everyone's cup of tea whether it is the "classic" tube sound or the "modern" tube sound. ARC isn't for everyone. I get it. It does not mean that the company should disappear or does not have the right to keep doing what they're doing and do what it takes to keep doing what they're doing.

Lastly, I run helter skelter from hype and buzz and mob-think. That's not what makes my heart all a'flutter. What puts a smile on my face is a component that I truly enjoy listening to music through 5, 10, 15 years later because it still works and still sounds good, very good.

Just my opinion/thoughts.

Thank you for providing a rational, down to earth perspective. I agree with you, not because I work at Audio Research, but because I worked in retail audio a very long time ago and worked with various customers who listened to different musical styles, in different rooms, and at different levels. As much as we are supposedly chasing the sonic grail, each of us is willing to make different compromises. We have different budgets and priorities, and people with whom we share our lives.

Bill Johnson knew that his components were expensive in 1970, and they are expensive today. He believed the best way to maintain the value of those components was to provide quality service for them, which is why we still service most of the products we have produced since then. Even a 54 year old SP-1 preamp. There was a time when we were part of a group, and our CFO ran Audio Research, and he thought that we were wasting our time talking with customers on the phone and servicing their products. He also brought in his son in to run service. Thankfully both father and son were shown the door before it got bad. I am thankful that we are privately held by a passionate person who wants to maintain our legacy.