Audio Research
Audio Research was founded in Minneapolis USA in 1970 by William Z. Johnson. Today, Audio Research Corporation is one of the oldest continually operating manufacturers of high-end audiophile equipment in the Wordl. There commitment to innovation and quality is unsurpassed, and they are placed alongside a handful of elite peers in the audiophile industry, including venerable companies like Conrad Johnson and Magnepan.
Their goal, as shared by many but realized by few, is and always has been to advance the state-of-the-art in music playback. Their main offerings to the hifi world are amplifiers, designed commonly with vacuum tube technology and using circuits with their roots back in the 1950’s.
Audio Research pride themselves in being a performance-oriented company and move their philosophy forward by focusing on advancements in design. Products released over the years by this leader in vacuum tubed amplification include:
Preamplifiers
SP17 Class-A Vacuum Tube Preamplifier
LS17 Class-A Vacuum Tube Stereo Line Preamp
LS27 Class-A Vacuum Tube Stereo Line Preamp
Power Amplifiers
DS225 Stereo Power Amp
DS450 Stereo Power Amp 450 Watts per channel
HD220 Hybrid Stereo Power Amp 220 Watts per channel
VSi60 VT Integrated Stereo Amp 50 Watts per channel
VS115 VT Amp 120 Watts per channel
Reference Series
ANNIVERSARY EDITION REFERENCE PREAMPLIFIER
REFERENCE 5 Vacuum Tube Line-Stage Preamp
REFERENCE PHONO 2 Vacuum Tube Phono Pream
REFERENCE CD8 Vacuum Tube CD Player-Transport
REFERENCE 150 Vacuum Tube Stereo Power Amp
REFERENCE 210 Vacuum Tube Monaural Power Amp 210 Watts
REFERENCE 610T Vacuum Tube Monaural Power Amp 600 Watts
Audio Research also produce a line of digital source components including the DAC8 Digital-to-Analog Digital Converter, and the CD5 CD Player-Transport.
Growth in the audiophile sector is typically a slow process, it is after all a very niche market and is generally considered to have peaked in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Audio Research however is one of the few companies who have maintained a steady growth, focusing on a network of top audio retailers across the USA and specialist distributors throughout Europe, South America and Asia.
Today the company employs approximately 50 technical, assembly and support staff out of their manufacturing base in MN and utilizes a high-tech manufacturing and R&D facility.
One of the remarkable facts shared by companies like Conrad Johnson and Audio Research is their continued use of vacuum tube technology and their ongoing ability to continually push the design envelope and improve musical playback performance through a technology which is over 70 years old. William Johnson began designing audio equipment in the early 1950’s and branched into retail sales in the mid-1960’s. This was during a period when vacuum-tube designs had all but been abandoned in favor of the low-cost solid-state technology spearheaded by transistors. Those new to the audiophile world often have trouble grasping the concept of vacuum tube versus solid state designs, and fail to understand how an ‘ancient’ technology can hold its own against modern circuit design. People closer to the industry would challenge the statement ‘hold its own’ and suggest quite emphatically that vacuum tube technology is actually superior, in terms of ultimate sound quality, than anything offered by transistors. From the debate has emerged true ‘hybrid’ designs, embracing the plus points of each technology into a single package, and indeed, Audio Research themselves have been at the forefront of hybrid design technology and continue to create products like their HD220 stereo power amplifier, to wide critical acclaim.
One of my experiences with Audio Research products came from the highly regarded LS15 preamplifier, a unit which is still widely sought after in the used-markets and online audiophile classified forums such as AudioGon.com This unit had a pristine presentation, not at all as one would expect from a vacuum tubed product. It’s sound was delicate, clear and dynamic, with little of the tube-liked ‘syrupy’ sound that solid-state aficionados would suggest is the trademark sound of vacuum tubes.
This product, a unit manufactured in the early 90’s provided years of reliable service and was never out of place amongst components with a much higher price tag. It also introduced me to the excellent service and support department at Audio Research. A circuit upgrade to increase gain was handled with aplomb by their engineers, clear evidence that the company technicians can still support – repair, refurbish and restore older equipment back to and often beyond original performance specifications.
Audio Research Corporation I 3900 Annapolis Lane North I Plymouth, Minnesota USA 55447-5447
Phone 763-577-9700 www.audioresearch.com
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