Amp/Preamp Asylum

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RE: Looks pretty but at $5000 MSRP ??

Posted by RGA on November 11, 2021 at 15:02:51:
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?