![]() |
|
Audio Research State of the Art Audio Reproduction |
![]() |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
Review from Sterophile August 1, 1976
Speaking of the potential longevity of tube equipment, we are told that a lot of dealers, pushing solid-state components, have been telling customers that the supply of replacement tubes is due to start drying up in a few years and that prices for them will start climbing precipitously as a result. We asked several tube manufacturers about this, and while one admitted that their future plans would be predicated on US consumer demand, four informed us that they had not considered discontinuing tube manufacture and could not foresee doing so as long as the present demand for them continued! One pointed out that their biggest market for amplifying tubes was in Europe and Asia, and said they would continue making them even if sales in the US came to a virtual standstill. That does not sound to us like the incipient demise of the vacuum tube. Conclusion Unfortunately, the price of the D-150 is murderous. Perhaps now, Audio Research can rest on their laurels for long enough to see if they can match this kind of sound from amplifiers that some of us can afford to buy. We must also point out that the D-150 has yet to prove its durability. It does run very cool—more so than many solid-state amplifiers—but only time will tell that story. We hope the story has a happy ending. https://www.stereophile.com/content/...ower-amplifier |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
![]()
Had the pleasure of demo'ing the 150 when I worked at San Jose's Garland Audio from 1977 to 1980, typically driving Fulton Js, Magnepan Tympani 1Ds, or--occasionally--Sequerra Pyramids (a speaker system that Jim Winey heard for the first time in our shop and assessed with the pithy comment, "I'm not afraid of it"). A trouble-free amp that had no serious competition sonically from the other amps we carried (Levinson, GAS, Luxman) until the D-79 arrived.
__________________
Jim Bedroom:Win 10 laptop/JRiver Media Center 27, TEAC UD-501, conrad johnson Sonographe SC25 and SA250, Paradigm Studio 20 v.5, Shunyata Hydra Delta D6, Wireworld Eclipse 8, Shunyata Delta XC v2, Delta NR v2, and Venom 14D power cords, Shunyata Alpha USB, Shunyata Venom Defender v2, Butcher Block Acoustics maple platform, Stillpoints Ultra SS and Ultra Mini footers, Stillpoints Aperture II and GIK Alpha 4A and 244 acoustic panels. Home Office: Win 10 HP PC/JRiver Media Center 27, Uptone Audio ISO REGEN/LPS-1.2, TEAC UD-501 DAC, Luminous Audio Technology Axiom Mk II/Walker mod, conrad-johnson Sonographe SA250, Paradigm SE-1, Wireworld Silver Starlight 7 USB, WW Eclipse 7 & Equinox 6 ICs, Blue Jeans/Belden 5T00UP speaker cable, Shunyata Hydra, Venom NR v10, and Wireworld Electra PCs, Sony BDP-S590 (used as SACD ripper) Living Room: Win 10 laptop/JRiver Media Center 27, TEAC UD-501 DAC, SOTA Sapphire III, Origin Live Encounter Mk3c/Ortofon 2M Black, Graham Slee Era Gold V, McIntosh MR77, Oppo BDP-83, conrad johnson Premier 17LS & MF2500, Paradigm SE-3. Wireworld Starlight 7 USB, WW Eclipse 7 and Equinox 6 ICs, Blue Jeans/Belden 5T00UP SC. Shunyata Hydra 8 v2, Shunyata Delta NR v1, Venom NR v10, and Wireworld Electra 7 PCs, GIK standard 244, scatter-plate 244, and Monster traps. |
#3
|
||||
|
||||
![]() Quote:
Speaking of those days, I remember when I drove down to Palo Alto in 1980 to...was it Audio Excellence? to hear the Snell Type As. They were, at the time, the best-sounding loudspeaker I had ever heard. They were powered by a Snell amplifier that was likely one of the few in the USA at the time.
__________________
First Sound Presence Deluxe 4.0 MkIII-Si Special Edition preamp, Conrad-Johnson LP70S amp, Michell Gyro SE MkII, SME V, Koetsu Urushi Vermilion w/ EAR324, Oppo BD-83SE, Sonore OpticalModule with Uptone Audio LPS-1.2 power supply, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN, SOtM UltraNeo with Keces P3 power supply, Shunyata Sigma Ethernet & Alpha USB cables, Schiit Gungnir Multibit Gen 5 USB DAC, Schiit Loki DSD DAC, Mac Mini/Roon, Harbeth 30.2 or Dynaudio Contour S3.4 w/ Esotar 2 tweeters, REL R-305, Shunyata Delta and Venom ICs, Shunyata Delta speaker cables, Shunyata Sigma XC, Sigma NRv2, Alpha NRv2, Venom NR-V10, and Venom V14D power cords, Shunyata Everest 8000, |
#4
|
||||
|
||||
![]() Quote:
__________________
Jim Bedroom:Win 10 laptop/JRiver Media Center 27, TEAC UD-501, conrad johnson Sonographe SC25 and SA250, Paradigm Studio 20 v.5, Shunyata Hydra Delta D6, Wireworld Eclipse 8, Shunyata Delta XC v2, Delta NR v2, and Venom 14D power cords, Shunyata Alpha USB, Shunyata Venom Defender v2, Butcher Block Acoustics maple platform, Stillpoints Ultra SS and Ultra Mini footers, Stillpoints Aperture II and GIK Alpha 4A and 244 acoustic panels. Home Office: Win 10 HP PC/JRiver Media Center 27, Uptone Audio ISO REGEN/LPS-1.2, TEAC UD-501 DAC, Luminous Audio Technology Axiom Mk II/Walker mod, conrad-johnson Sonographe SA250, Paradigm SE-1, Wireworld Silver Starlight 7 USB, WW Eclipse 7 & Equinox 6 ICs, Blue Jeans/Belden 5T00UP speaker cable, Shunyata Hydra, Venom NR v10, and Wireworld Electra PCs, Sony BDP-S590 (used as SACD ripper) Living Room: Win 10 laptop/JRiver Media Center 27, TEAC UD-501 DAC, SOTA Sapphire III, Origin Live Encounter Mk3c/Ortofon 2M Black, Graham Slee Era Gold V, McIntosh MR77, Oppo BDP-83, conrad johnson Premier 17LS & MF2500, Paradigm SE-3. Wireworld Starlight 7 USB, WW Eclipse 7 and Equinox 6 ICs, Blue Jeans/Belden 5T00UP SC. Shunyata Hydra 8 v2, Shunyata Delta NR v1, Venom NR v10, and Wireworld Electra 7 PCs, GIK standard 244, scatter-plate 244, and Monster traps. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
Audio Art in Richmond, VA. D150,SP6, Tympani. Same time frame, late 70s.
__________________
1)Wilson Sasha DAW; ARC Ref 6SE; ARC Ref Phono 3SE; ARC Ref CD9SE; ARC Ref 160S; Clearaudio Avantgarde Magnum w/ TTS3/DaVinci V.2;Shunyata Denali 6000T; Shunyata AC cables; Siltech Prince speaker cables; Siltech Princess/Crown Princess interconnects. 2) SF Amati Homage; ARC Ref 5SE; ARC Ref 75SE; ARC CD6SE; Stealth Sakra V16 interconnects. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
I bought a D-150 a few years back and spent some money having it refurbished. Sounds great and IMO still one of the coolest looking amps of all time. Reminds me of
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OMonoKzkTc |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
A reconditioned ARC D 150 was reviewed about 5 or ten years ago in a European magazine and the reviewer concluded that the sound quality was up to today’s top tube power amps.
That says lot about the staying power of the D 150. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
Love that video clip, especially being a ham radio operator! But is that what happens to us when we for up an old tube amp?
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
![]()
Sorry, meant to say: “But is this what happens to us when we listen to an old tube amp?”
|
![]() |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Audio Aficionado Sponsors | |