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ARC in receivership
It has been reported that ARC has filed court documents assigning receivership to Lighthouse Management Corporation. Evidently this allows avoidance of Chapter 7 or 11, but it remains to be seen if the company will survive and in what status. IMHO the issues are most likely the loss of key design people, parts sourcing and reliability, and the inability to maintain a sufficient work force of highly skilled technicians. The backlog of repair orders stretches months. The Ref 320M was shown at Munich a year ago, but never made it to market. Capital and management are essential to success in the audio business, but are meaningless without the engineering and circuit design people creating the gear, and repairing it when required. That is how ARC stayed the course for over 50 years.
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Wilson Alexia V; ARC Ref 6SE; ARC Ref Phono 3SE; Boulder 1160; Esoteric K1X; Artisan Fidelity Garrard 301 Statement; Ikeda 407; Koetsu Leopard, Coralstone; Shunyata Denali 6000T; Shunyata AC cables; Siltech Prince speaker cables; Siltech Princess interconnects, Avondale II phono. Last edited by djcxxx; 04-29-2023 at 04:29 PM. |
#2
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Though I have never owned ARC gear....it is very sad to see top notch
audio gear makers go into receivership... Wishing them well!!
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My humble gear in a 15' x 25' L shaped room, carpet flooring. Focal Aria 948 speakers, PS Audio P15 power plant, Parasound JC5, Oppo 205, Wyred4Sound STP SE Stage 2 preamp, Nordost Red Dawn speaker cables and Red Dawn XLR ics, Pangea AC9SE MkII and Pangea AC14SE MKII power cables |
#3
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This is the first I've heard of this. It's very sad if it's true, regardless of the ultimate outcome.
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Primary sources: VPI TNT III/SDS turntable, SME-V arm; Bryston BDP-3 digital player; Bryston BDA-3 DAC; McIntosh MVP-881 disc player; McIntosh MR-80 tuner. Preamplifier Audio Research Ref 5SE; Audio Research Ref Phono 2SE; Moon 430 HA. Amplifiers Conrad Johnson Premier 1B; Audio Research D-300; Bryston 4B. Speakers Infinity IRS Beta. Recorders Tandberg TD20A; Crown SX-822; Nakamichi 670ZX; Alesis Masterlink ML-9600. Power Tice Power Block/Titan (x2); McIntosh MPC1500; API Ultra II-20; multiple 20A derated dedicated lines. |
#4
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I now have some of the court filings so I can sadly confirm that the news of receivership is true. The filing was made April 3, so this has been underway for a while. The filing contains a long list of creditors who include my local ARC dealer. So this is going to cause a lot of pain for many people.
A court hearing has been set for May 17. (Minnesota Judicial Branch, Hennepin County Civil)
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Primary sources: VPI TNT III/SDS turntable, SME-V arm; Bryston BDP-3 digital player; Bryston BDA-3 DAC; McIntosh MVP-881 disc player; McIntosh MR-80 tuner. Preamplifier Audio Research Ref 5SE; Audio Research Ref Phono 2SE; Moon 430 HA. Amplifiers Conrad Johnson Premier 1B; Audio Research D-300; Bryston 4B. Speakers Infinity IRS Beta. Recorders Tandberg TD20A; Crown SX-822; Nakamichi 670ZX; Alesis Masterlink ML-9600. Power Tice Power Block/Titan (x2); McIntosh MPC1500; API Ultra II-20; multiple 20A derated dedicated lines. Last edited by cleeds; 04-29-2023 at 10:50 PM. Reason: add hearing date |
#5
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Very sad. Hope they make it thru all this.
Again, am sure a big part of their problem is all the Chinese gear that is flooding the market and killing off NA manufacturers. And all the pimping of Chinese gear done by the large e-tailers like MoFi/Music Direct & Up-Scale, to name a couple. Folks I'll never do business with again.
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Glenn... Canton Reference 9 Clearaudio SM Pro Focal Bathys JLA 10" Dominion Kuzma Stabi S w/MC & MM Magnepan 1,7i McIntosh MA8950 & MR88 Oppo 203 Roon Nucleus Rose Hifi RS150B Shunyata Gemini-4 Sony ST-A6B, TA-F6B, ST-J75 & PS-X75 Sorane SA1.2 & TA-1L Stillpoints LP1v2 WW Pt, Au & Ag |
#6
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Quote:
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Clearaudio Ovation with Tracer Dynavector KARAT 17DX Naim Uniti Core Schiit Yggdrasil McIntosh C22/MC275 Wilson TuneTots B&W DB3D Nordost QKore/QBase/Frey 2 Transparent Super IsoAcoustics GAIA II Stax SR-009S with SRM-700T |
#7
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Wish you were correct, but ARC vs Prima Luna (Chinese) at 1/3 the cost (or less) likely sways many folks.
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Glenn... Canton Reference 9 Clearaudio SM Pro Focal Bathys JLA 10" Dominion Kuzma Stabi S w/MC & MM Magnepan 1,7i McIntosh MA8950 & MR88 Oppo 203 Roon Nucleus Rose Hifi RS150B Shunyata Gemini-4 Sony ST-A6B, TA-F6B, ST-J75 & PS-X75 Sorane SA1.2 & TA-1L Stillpoints LP1v2 WW Pt, Au & Ag |
#8
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Ooo...I did not realize Prima Luna was made in China. I agree that's a fair comparison
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Clearaudio Ovation with Tracer Dynavector KARAT 17DX Naim Uniti Core Schiit Yggdrasil McIntosh C22/MC275 Wilson TuneTots B&W DB3D Nordost QKore/QBase/Frey 2 Transparent Super IsoAcoustics GAIA II Stax SR-009S with SRM-700T |
#9
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Many American and European firms in the high end of the market, including I believe ARC, are not really directly competing with the Chinese. I don’t think the people buying brands like ARC, D’Agostino, Wilson, Pass, etc., are seriously distracted by Music Direct Chinese offerings. It looks a lot more like the vp of sales who purchased ARC less than 3 years ago simply was over-leveraged and underfunded, bought when the market was in a boom, and couldn’t sustain his debt payments when the market went into a post-Covid slow-down at the same time interest rates and supplier costs went up.
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Tony D'Agostino Momentum S250 MxV & HD pre; Linn Klimax Organik DSM, SonicTransporter, EtherRegen; Acoustic Signature Typhoon Neo, Koetsu RSP, Boulder 1108; Sf Il Cremonese; Shunyata Everest, Altaira, Sigma & Alpha v2 |
#10
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ARC is an iconic brand built from the ground up and the company has a long history of success. They have had several owners since the passing of their founder, some better suited to their culture than others. Owned by the McIntosh Group (a direct competitor) who also owned Sonus Faber, ARC was subject to management decisions no longer made in Maple Grove. Product wrapper design came out of Italy from Livio Cucuzza. Some of this was not a happiness for in-house ARC and its traditions. TWS LLC was a company created by Trent Suggs, a former ARC sales director, to return, I suspect, the company to its roots. But there was no financial backing behind Suggs. I expect a financier to appear and the company to continue. Hopefully that will be someone who not only understands their value but is committed to sustaining it without trying to turn it into a lilfe-style product following fast moving trends. Several of the core people such as Dave Gordon, Warren Gehl are still there to keep WZJ's vision alive. Imo, their challenges are building off proven designs, which they've done a lot -- from the Ref3 linestage, to adopting the 6H30 tube in the Ref2/Ref5 models and their follow-ons, the Ref 10 series and the Ref3/Ref6 sustained them through the 21st century thus far. And, to find new design talent. Last edited by tima; 05-01-2023 at 06:15 AM. |
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