View Full Version : Waiting and nervous about the ARC 75
farflungstar
19-11-2017, 18:52
I promised myself I wouldn't buy from a certain seller after being a little disappointed on two occasions in the past. But, unlike most folks they will allow a down payment and if necessary the time required to pay for an expensive item.
So... In my hunt for a replacement for my lovely Cary's it came down to either Leben or audio research's ref 75 - and guess who had the 75 at a good price?
After a down payment a few weeks ago I'm about to transfer 4k in the morning and should take delivery this week.
Initially advertised as 350 hours on the tubes this changed to 'well used' - so new tubes are in order but will have to wait till pay day.
I'm nervous, and praying that this time there will be no surprises other than nice ones.
Will of course post about my findings of the amp and it's behaviour with the Tannoys.
I feel your (S)pain........good luck.
I promised myself I wouldn't buy from a certain seller after being a little disappointed on two occasions in the past. But, unlike most folks they will allow a down payment and if necessary the time required to pay for an expensive item.
So... In my hunt for a replacement for my lovely Cary's it came down to either Leben or audio research's ref 75 - and guess who had the 75 at a good price?
After a down payment a few weeks ago I'm about to transfer 4k in the morning and should take delivery this week.
Initially advertised as 350 hours on the tubes this changed to 'well used' - so new tubes are in order but will have to wait till pay day.
I'm nervous, and praying that this time there will be no surprises other than nice ones.
Will of course post about my findings of the amp and it's behaviour with the Tannoys.
Good luck, Adrian. Out of curiosity, how much did you pay for the 75? :)
Marco.
farflungstar
19-11-2017, 21:39
£4000.00 Marco.
paulf-2007
19-11-2017, 22:05
£4000.00 Marco.
Ouch, I wish you well and hope your renewed faith in the seller is well founded.
Awesome amplifier that Adrian. I'm sure all will be fine with it.
Reading between the lots I'm thinking this would be the seller who sent me the wrong Rogers Cadet, one in better condition than that I'd paid for. Love to know what the other buyer thought.
Bigman80
20-11-2017, 08:04
Reviews of the amp are excellent. I hope all is well on its arrival
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£4000.00 Marco.
That's a good price, Adrian. Top-notch valve amps simply don't come cheap. At some point later, once you've used the beast for a while, try it with KT150s (if they're safe to use with it), as that should be a bit of an ear-opener for you... ;)
Oh, and if the AR doesn't work out for any reason (let's hope not), or perhaps for consideration in future, at your current level of expenditure, I'd highly recommend the designs of our very own Anthony Matthews, of Tube Distinctions:
http://tubedistinctions.co.uk/
I use one of his Copper amps (and have heard a number of Anthony's designs), and trust me they are virtually unrivalled and TRULY STUNNING in every way!! :)
Marco.
farflungstar
20-11-2017, 08:43
I spoke to Anthony a while back but he said he wasn't making any at the moment.
Lawrence001
20-11-2017, 09:25
Awesome amplifier that Adrian. I'm sure all will be fine with it.
Reading between the lots I'm thinking this would be the seller who sent me the wrong Rogers Cadet, one in better condition than that I'd paid for. Love to know what the other buyer thought.I wonder if that was one of the disappointments Adrian referred to?? Sounds like he's not a rip off merchant but just a bit absent minded.
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Spectral Morn
20-11-2017, 10:24
Emporium I suspect :scratch:
farflungstar
20-11-2017, 10:33
Emporium I suspect :scratch:I won't comment at the moment.
anthonyTD
20-11-2017, 10:39
Sorry about that Adrian, things were a bit hectic with other commitments at the time, and my health had not been good either.
Good luck with the 75. :)
I spoke to Anthony a while back but he said he wasn't making any at the moment.
Spectral Morn
20-11-2017, 10:47
I won't comment at the moment.
I didn't expect you to, just thinking out loud.
jandl100
20-11-2017, 11:13
Emporium I suspect :scratch:
They do seem to have a bit of a rep, don't they.
But I've had multiple dealings with them, including some didn't-like-it-returns - rapid delivery, no hassle and all good. :thumbsup:
Lawrence001
20-11-2017, 12:16
I got my TDS buffer off them and it also came better than in the photo, again also unsure what happened with the other one.
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I spoke to Anthony a while back but he said he wasn't making any at the moment.
No worries, and I note that Anthony's replied :)
Marco.
farflungstar
27-11-2017, 16:49
It's arrived and out of the box but I cant do anything till I finish work in 3: hours.
It's big and I mean big. I'm a little confused about something - my isoldas are terminated in bananas (yuk) and all the blurb says the 75 doesn't doesn't accept them - but quickly checking I can insert the bananas into the back of the binding posts no problem - so it appears it does accept them.
I'm so nervous about putting in the valves and switching on....
Roll on home time.
Maybe changed them. used to be spades only as the holes were filled
hifi_dave
27-11-2017, 18:06
Maybe modified.
The 75s I have seen have had screw terminals.
ARC changed their supplier of speaker binding posts a couple of years back, very much depends on the production chronology of ones ARC amplification.
hifinutt
27-11-2017, 18:39
They do seem to have a bit of a rep, don't they.
But I've had multiple dealings with them, including some didn't-like-it-returns - rapid delivery, no hassle and all good. :thumbsup:
brilliant , thats good to know . funnily enough i have asked them 3 times for photos of a certain speaker that they have and no success at all .and its not a cheap loudspeaker but he ho !!
love the look of the 75 and one amp on my bucket list but my ss amp is so trouble free and good i won`t be parting with it any time soon
farflungstar
27-11-2017, 21:17
Well got it all wired up and in place but the power cord is a different fitting. steam. So will need to wire the supplied cord into the mains spur tomorrow. Bugger...
It looks great inside and out - can't wait to try it. Sitting looking it at and hoping I made the right choice... It's so different in looks to my usual Japanese exotica. But God I'm excited....
Bigman80
27-11-2017, 21:31
Fingers crossed.
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brian2957
27-11-2017, 21:53
:popcorn:
farflungstar
28-11-2017, 12:29
I got up early and wired it up, wouldn't switch on!!! Gutted until I checked the line fuse - not screwed in. Sorted that and hey presto. Followed the instructions and waited 20mins before checking bias, hardly off. Adjusted. Then lowered the needle. Music!
But wth only 5 mins before work it was a short lived moment. Have a couple of hours this afternoon and will try to put in some listening....
at least its working and in one piece. half the battle
farflungstar
28-11-2017, 16:31
Spent a couple of hours listening b this afternoon and will have a listen tonight then post some thoughts. It definitely has synergy with the Tannoys.
Here it is in situ...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171128/51e2a2053af3f244b1c8eff46948ebc1.jpg
Spent a couple of hours listening b this afternoon and will have a listen tonight then post some thoughts. It definitely has synergy with the Tannoys.
Here it is in situ...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171128/51e2a2053af3f244b1c8eff46948ebc1.jpg
Nice set up you have there.
All good so far then, Adrian! Look forward to reading your impressions later, once you've got your head around what the amp is doing better. Enjoy! :cool:
Marco.
farflungstar
28-11-2017, 21:07
Okay so whilst some may say my opinions are expectation bias here's what i think of the 75 after an initial critical listening session.
My worries about single ended to balanced were unnecessary.
The top of the range Cardas connectors work really well - zero hum or noise. There is only silence with my ear up against the Tannoys. Great. However I hate connectors so will ask speedy Steve to knock me up a cable.
Okay so how does it sound?
To be honest I had expected it to sound less sweet than the 300b/845 I'm used to and yes it is, but marginally. What it has is an incredibly wide, tall and deep soundstage with tremendous definition and resolution. Timbre and nuance is the best I've heard. The treble is extended beyond anything I've heard in my system before, midrange is stunning, and the bass is breathtaking - I've never heard such tonallity to bass, or such power. It grips the Tannoys perfectly, letting them breath but not get unruly - stunning. I would say it has the effortlessness of a big solid state amp twinned with the beauty of valves.
Of course I need new valves but even so I am over the moon with what I'm hearing. It's been a long journey, but this year wth the addition of the Tannoys and the Reed, and now the 75 I feel like I'm where I wanted to be.
Fit and finish is exemplary, though the functional look isn't what I'm used to. Operation is a dream and the amp sounds fabulous almost from cold. Bias adjustment is fiddly but easy.
So - the question. I loved my Carys, the look of them, their sound - have I made the right choice? Without a doubt! I can understand why 3 of 5 reviewers bought one.
Idlewithnodrive
28-11-2017, 21:21
Sweet :champagne:
Bigman80
29-11-2017, 10:02
Great news. I'm sure the performance will only improve with familiarity and new valves.
Congratulations!
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brian2957
29-11-2017, 10:11
Great news Adrian . I could most certainly live with the looks of your new amp , particularly if it gave the results you have described .:)
Why do you consider that new valves are required?
farflungstar
29-11-2017, 10:30
Only because the seller said they had been 'well used'.....
walpurgis
29-11-2017, 10:34
Why do you consider that new valves are required?
That question crossed my mind too.
I don't quite recall whether the 75 sports an LCD ammo counter on the circuit board....If so check the clock on the units valves there, either way the KT's should be good for 2000 hours, and you will most likely drop dead before the 6h30's do so!
farflungstar
29-11-2017, 12:15
My reason for wanting new tubes is down to doubt. Emporium originally listed the valves having had 350 hours use. But in a private email when asking if everything was 100% okay they suggested new ones as they had been well used. They sound great so I'm in no rush - but better safe than sorry I think.
certainly should get more than that out of valves
Might as well optimise everything, no point in spoiling the ship for an hapeth of tar. You can always keep the old valves as spares. Cool looking amplifier btw.
Ali Tait
29-11-2017, 16:26
Yes doesn’t hurt to have a spare set.
farflungstar
29-11-2017, 16:55
Spent a few hours listening to Boris Blank electronica - holy cow. Stunning - tremendous power and drive and with the meters reading barely 7 watts.
Bigman80
29-11-2017, 17:43
Spent a few hours listening to Boris Blank electronica - holy cow. Stunning - tremendous power and drive and with the meters reading barely 7 watts.It must sound better with meters. [emoji6]
I love them. Great looking amp.
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montesquieu
29-11-2017, 23:19
Okay so whilst some may say my opinions are expectation bias here's what i think of the 75 after an initial critical listening session.
My worries about single ended to balanced were unnecessary.
The top of the range Cardas connectors work really well - zero hum or noise. There is only silence with my ear up against the Tannoys. Great. However I hate connectors so will ask speedy Steve to knock me up a cable.
Okay so how does it sound?
To be honest I had expected it to sound less sweet than the 300b/845 I'm used to and yes it is, but marginally. What it has is an incredibly wide, tall and deep soundstage with tremendous definition and resolution. Timbre and nuance is the best I've heard. The treble is extended beyond anything I've heard in my system before, midrange is stunning, and the bass is breathtaking - I've never heard such tonallity to bass, or such power. It grips the Tannoys perfectly, letting them breath but not get unruly - stunning. I would say it has the effortlessness of a big solid state amp twinned with the beauty of valves.
Of course I need new valves but even so I am over the moon with what I'm hearing. It's been a long journey, but this year wth the addition of the Tannoys and the Reed, and now the 75 I feel like I'm where I wanted to be.
Fit and finish is exemplary, though the functional look isn't what I'm used to. Operation is a dream and the amp sounds fabulous almost from cold. Bias adjustment is fiddly but easy.
So - the question. I loved my Carys, the look of them, their sound - have I made the right choice? Without a doubt! I can understand why 3 of 5 reviewers bought one.
Missed this! Nice one Adey, great choice.
I wouldn't worry about the power valves too much I don't think they are too stressed out in that configuration, should last a long time.
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