Thoriated_Tiger Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 Anyone firing their Klipsches with Audio Research moderate power tube amps? Say a D-76 or a D-70 or similar? How is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 ARC is a highly respected name in tube gear, have you heard of an issue with them on Klipsch Heritage? The only problem that I know of is the retail price... I own an ARC solid-state preamp, that's the only ARC gear that I have, but believe me, I wanted some of their tube gear that you mentioned, just couldn't afford it at the time. The 60 watt per channel job is just the ticket, IMO. Are you asking about the 6550 PP configuration? I don't have ARC but I have 6550 PP 60 watt mono-heads, and they are just fine with horns. If you are going for a stereo/HT mix, of course, higher wattage is a bonus. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 The ARC 75W/channel tube version is for sale on SaturdayAudio.com for $729 if it is still available. They have not taken the time to update the website in over two weeks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnBob Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 I've had several ARC amps (D-75, D-75a, D-160, D-79) They all sounded great with Klipsches - both quiet and musical. That said, they are very much sports-car audio. Plan on becoming friends with a tech. All of the above had frequent, and expensive problems. The D-160, a magnificent amp, had a diode go bad which took $800 worth of tubes with it. The D-75a had bad tube sockets. The D-75 had an intermittentent diode which would only act up when the amp was sitting upright with all the cages on. It took a good tech several weeks to figure that out. The D-79 had fuses I could only get from an electrical contractors' supply house. The list goes on and on. I understand the newer amps are not so fussy, and ARC, I gather, has done a land office business in modifications to keep their products from self-immolation. But if I was looking at something in this price class, I'd be looking at VAC or Conrad Johnson. Just an opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted October 29, 2004 Share Posted October 29, 2004 That's a nightmare! BTW, I have a CJ preamp which I think is the cat's meow. It was made in '86, clearly they hold up well (but I have not owned it for that long, though)... DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoriated_Tiger Posted October 29, 2004 Author Share Posted October 29, 2004 Just exploring, folks.. thanks for the replies. As for 'sports car' personality -- I drive sports cars, and I am my own tech ;o) Ditto for tubes. If I can't wrench on it, I don't want it. I've been a fan of Audio Research since I was a little kid. This one's not about sonics, per se.. this one's one of those things I have to do for myself. That ARC has good sonics is a bonus. =o) I'm heavily pondering a D-70 MkII, and pretty much will gun for only that one at this point. 60 wpc, runs the 6550's on the conservative side, so current-production glass should have no issues with it. I'll get around to building my own.. for now, tho, I think I really do want that shiny one with the black (deep, deep anodized purple, actually) handles. Everytime I look at my SP6A I smile, because I remember when they were new, I was about 8, and had no hope of ever having one.. so what's this one doing here.. hmm... =o) The current stuff is so stratospherically priced I'll have to wait another couple of decades to afford something like a Ref II Mk II preamp ;o) Perhaps some forum members would like to go over the runes for the D-76 with me? (I can't find 'em for the 70 I want..) There's voodoo in there I don't grok. WTF is a 'cross-coupler?' The feedback stage seems to loop from the output tranny to a 12AX7 (!) then on into the input ckt.. is WZJ known to be a weirdo? ;o) D-76A runes (it's not the D-70, but close, from what I hear): http://www.arcdb.ws/D76/ARC_D76A_schematic.JPG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnBob Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Something to remember if you are putting this on a test bench - the channels do not have a common ground on the early ARC amps. The 4 ohm taps are common. Just thought I'd throw that in to add to the confusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoriated_Tiger Posted November 1, 2004 Author Share Posted November 1, 2004 ---------------- On 11/1/2004 10:25:58 AM CaptnBob wrote: Something to remember if you are putting this on a test bench - the channels do not have a common ground on the early ARC amps. The 4 ohm taps are common. Just thought I'd throw that in to add to the confusion. ---------------- Noticed that in the D-76A runes.. dunno if the 70's the same way.. probably is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 ARC & Klipsch are fine IMO. Some ARC gear, especially the older vintage stuff, can sound very "pretty", not necessarily "accurate", but very "musical" (to me, "musical" is a form of coloration), although I've had an ARC of one kind or another in my system since 1982. Right now I'm just using the SP6-B as a phono preamp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J M O N Posted November 2, 2004 Share Posted November 2, 2004 I have the ARC VT-50 power amp, which puts out 45 wpc. I must say that I have gotten some very good sound running Cornwalls, La Scalas and K-Horns with it. It has more power than I think I would ever need. Bass is plentiful and tight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoriated_Tiger Posted November 27, 2004 Author Share Posted November 27, 2004 The D-70 MkII is *in*. Got it monday, hooked it up tuesday and played it for a couple of hours, biased it wednesday (biasing this is like playing Operation, only with 450vdc in the game!) and balanced the driver tubes' DC.. all is good, all is well, but had an lf hum at 60hz.. not the amp, the preamp..*boggle*.. Lifted the ground on the amp, and now all is tomb-like quiet. I must say, the D-70 works wonderfully with horns. I was expecting something different, perhaps even un-refined, but alas, the opposite is true. This amp has clarity and cleanliness to spare, without sounding 'clinical' or 'audiophile-ish'. What it does have is utter control over the Fortés. Much more control than the Dynaco. Almost solid-state like control. What it has is a truly transparent window into the music. A big, fat, powerful explosive, brilliant sound which defines "High Fidelity" or as ARC puts it, "High Definition." And it's still excellent with little-girl-with-guitar music.. but oy, it can pound out the Beethoven without ever feeling strained (which the dyna did -- only a little bit, and only on some recordings -- I wonder if its the dyna's phase splitter design dirtying up the sound, it's a cathodyne.) I think I've abandoned my thoughts of building a pp or pse amp. At least for the time being. This thing is four tetrodes hurling lightning into the night, 60w per side of sheer sonic bliss. And I *still* can't make sense of the design. I swear it has a Flux Capacitor in it somewhere.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 ---------------- On 11/27/2004 4:08:43 PM Thoriated_Tiger wrote: I swear it has a Flux Capacitor in it somewhere.. ---------------- yes ! the iron in the transforner, the 450 v. in the tubes .......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mafuta Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 I remember a photograph of Audio Research's listening room at the factory in a mid 80's brochure(around the time of the D 70).Lots of Magnepan speakers and a Klipschorn peaking from the corner. D160. Fantastic amp.Cost $6000 in 1983 and another $6000 in repairs till I finally gave up on it a year ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edwinr Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 The only reason Audio Research, McIntosh and the like are not mentioned more often in this forum, is because they cost so much money. If I had stacks of money, or St. Nick was feeling generous, I think a nice McIntosh integrated would suit me just fine. I wouldn't say no to some ARC gear though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 Agreed. I've always been a traditionalist in the looks department, which is why I've always loved the aesthetics of McIntosh and Audio Research components. I've used 3 different SS Mac amps with my Cornwalls, but never owned an AR yet...maybe someday I'll have several tubed Macs and AR components with Klipschorns (hey, a guy can still dream)! Good luck with your new amp, and enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dflip Posted November 28, 2004 Share Posted November 28, 2004 I am one of few who have a pair of McIntosh MC-30's with Cornwalls. They were a great deal, about $1600 Cdn, in addition to several tube upgrades (350B's, blackplate 12AX7's, 12BH7's and 5751's with a pair of 12AU7 Mullards thrown in for good measure), it is still a great 30W amp for about $2800 Cdn. It just sounds like a wall of music with very good bass, and vocals to die for. I couldn't be happier and I still have a Scott LK-72 (299C in kit form) as a second amp, and back-up. The Acurus A-150 I was using previously, which I thought was pretty good, is a pale pretender by comparision. Of course, a tube preamp is also recommended to finish the deal. My Mapletree Audio 4A SE is a very good bargin which may at some point be replaced by a Blueberry or Peach at some time in the future if finances allow. Until I will the lottery, these two pieces of equipment separated at birth by 180 miles and an international boundry are making beautiful music together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyhorns Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 I'm just going to add, where I used to work many years ago, next door was a place called ARCO, and it was Bill Johnson's summertime tinkering lab. I visited every now and then and listened to those gigantic AR amps running through Infinity IRS speakers...truly awesome Bill is a really nice man, very kind and would take time out to play music for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnBob Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 ---------------- On 11/28/2004 12:11:53 AM mafuta wrote: D160. Fantastic amp.Cost $6000 in 1983 and another $6000 in repairs till I finally gave up on it a year ago. ---------------- Welcome to the club. Shall we have blazers made? I think they only made about 200 D-160s. When I'd call Audio Research about some anti-social behavior mine was exhibiting, they would know right away which one it was and where it had been. The guy I sold it to (who runs an electronics repair shop) did some things to it to keep it from blowing up, but traded away some of the sound quality in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thoriated_Tiger Posted November 29, 2004 Author Share Posted November 29, 2004 Um.. wow. Just looked at the D-160. No, the D-70 is *nothing* like it. A much simpler machine. Just the cap count in the d-160 is enough to scare me away. ;o) Same thing, btw, that pretty much eliminated the D-76 from contention for my system. Too much stuff, too much chance of something going ker-blammo. I haven't shot mine yet, but here's arcdb's entry for the d-70: http://www.arcdb.ws/D70/D70.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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