ARC is freakin expensive.

[asiufy]

The best value right now in the ARC line is the Galileo series. As they're being phased out, folks are getting great discounts on those. And, IMHO, the GS150 will be one of those legendary ARC amps. The GSi75 integrated isn't too far off either, and comes with a DAC and phono stage built-in.

[Mouse]

Originally Posted by asiufy

The best value right now in the ARC line is the Galileo series. As they're being phased out, folks are getting great discounts on those. And, IMHO, the GS150 will be one of those legendary ARC amps. The GSi75 integrated isn't too far off either, and comes with a DAC and phono stage built-in.

Is the phono stage good? Because my dealer was gently pushing that integrated on me for my office setup. He liked the integrated more than he liked the entry level amp.

[GaryProtein]

Originally Posted by Jerome W

I do not know what is the damping factor of the REF250 monoblocks, but even used with a LS27 preamp, the sound on Wilson Sasha was very boring and flat. The MC601's were much more involving and alive.
I strongly disagree with some of the comments above stating that ARC and McIntosh do not match well. Imho, ARC preamps are superb and sound better than Mc preamps. But McIntosh is head and shoulders above ARC when it comes to power amps.
I have quite a few friends who use an ARC preamp with Mc power. The synergy is stunning.

Damping factor of the REF250 is 10 (TEN) Can you believe it's so low?

The specs are all here: http://www.arcdb.ws

[audio5]

Originally Posted by asiufy

The best value right now in the ARC line is the Galileo series. As they're being phased out, folks are getting great discounts on those. And, IMHO, the GS150 will be one of those legendary ARC amps. The GSi75 integrated isn't too far off either, and comes with a DAC and phono stage built-in.

Parts? parts? for repair
M 160 is not invain.

[2fastdriving]

This thread is pointless. Yes ARC is expensive. Yes it sounds good. All of it.

[PHC1]

https://youtu.be/wU7PGCR5vEo

[mulveling]

Originally Posted by GaryProtein

Damping factor of the REF250 is 10 (TEN) Can you believe it's so low?

The specs are all here: http://www.arcdb.ws

People who shop for amps based on damping factor are definitely not the target market for ARC amps. For that matter, they're not the target for McIntosh, either. Even 10x damping (if honest) is plenty enough to work very well with lots of speakers. The amp/speaker matching is so crucial, and affected by so many variables, you just have to listen to determine a good pairing.

An amp with a ridiculously high damping factor spec, several hundred times or more, is usually an indication you're looking at either a SS OTL circuit with gobs of global negative feedback, or a digital circuit, both of which have negative connotations when positioned at the price points of upper-range ARC and MC amps.

[PHC1]

What to look for in a tube amplifier. https://youtu.be/MrSkU3R2djg

[PHC1]

Can anyone guess which tube amplifier this is? No, it's not ARC.

[metaphacts]

Originally Posted by PHC1

Can anyone guess which tube amplifier this is? No, it's not ARC.

a newer version of the amp driving my desktop speakers?