Experience the Audio Research Difference

March 5, 2021 12:09 am Published by Leave your thoughts

What is a perfect home audio listening experience in Chicago, IL like? Everyone has their own musical preferences and tastes, but many audiophiles will agree that the goal of high-end audio is to recreate music so accurately to the original live event from which it was recorded that the listener forgets it’s a recording.

This drive for an organic, pure listening experience is a passion of Audio Research, a high-definition audio company specializing in amplifiers for home stereo systems. Audio Research has been making high-end audio equipment for more than 50 years now, and the company shows no signs of slowing down as it continues to pursue sonic perfection in its U.S.-made products into the 2020s.

A hallmark of Audio Research products is sonic clarity. This is especially evident in the company’s Reference series amplifiers, which, as the name suggests, offer a pure reproduction of a recording that can be placed against any other listening experience as a reference to the original.

Doing it right from the start

From the very beginning, Audio Research founder William Z. Johnson prioritized audio quality above all else in his designs. At a time when solid state devices were flooding the market with inexpensive designs that compromised audio quality for affordability and visual aesthetics, Johnson held firm to his vacuum tube amplifier design.

This is one of the reasons why some of Audio Research’s earlier products have become highly sought after. Not only are they collectible in a historical context, but they have a sound that was not widely available at the time. Audio Research is one of the pioneers of high-end audio, and the company has only continued to refine and improve its products.

Because Audio Research prides itself on making products that will last a lifetime, you won’t find any planned obsolescence here. Products are made to last, and can be properly maintained and repaired, should the need arise, with support from the company’s in-house technicians.

The magic of vacuum tubes in audio

While vacuum tubes fell out of favor in home audio products by the early 1970s, Audio Research was one of two companies that continued making home stereo amplifiers that used them. The reason was simple: they sounded better than transistors, which were taking over the market at the time.

Vacuum tubes produce a more natural sound than transistors like FETs, MOSFETs or BJTs because they are more linear electrical conductors. As a result, amplifiers that use vacuum tubes maintain a purer signal integrity than transistors.

Tube amplifiers also provide more dynamic headroom, which allows the music to “breathe” more fully and not feel squashed. The high signal integrity allows the full depth of the low bass and the soaring high of the high frequencies to be full explored and reproduced even beyond the realm of the 20Hz–to-20kHz range of human hearing. In short, tubes allow you to feel the music as close to live performance as possible.

If you’re ready to hear the Audio Research difference for yourself, contact Quintessence Audio Ltd., your local audio dealer in Chicago, IL, to set up a test listen today.

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