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AUDIO RESEARCH D76A 75 WPC Vacuum Tube Amplifier D-76A - $1,500 (dublin / pleasanton / livermore)
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Sounds great. Setup for you to hear.
Possible trades.
Information online:
D-76A (1975)
In the late 1950's and early 60's amplifier designers were competing to get THD and IM distortion down to 1% or lower. After that goal was achieved the competition among manufacturers turned to higher power in the late 60's and early 70's. Today, numerous manufacturers offer high power amplifiers at just a few dollars a watt and all with 1% distortion or less.
During these same time periods, a few audio designers were discovering that low static distortion measurements were not enough to assure good sound reproduction. Amplifiers having similar low distortion often sounded quite different under the dynamic demands of music reproduction. Obviously, these "low distortion" amplifiers had distortion, and plenty of it, but there was no method of measuring distortion under these conditions.
Now, in the mid 1970's, an increasing number of manufacturers are acknowledging this phenomenon and claiming to have improved designs which offer better "sound quality" in addition to good specifications.
Since the late 1950's, engineers at Audio Research have been aware of these problems. To achieve low distortion under the dynamics of music, Audio Research has investigated many approaches to amplifier design, including the conventional bipolar transistor, FET, V-FET, Class D (switching), tube and various combinations of each. Our continued research indicates that our best tube circuits (patented) provide the most musical amplifier design. Tubes, per se, don't ensure a musical sounding amplifier. It's just that our patented, cross-coupled, balanced tube circuitry is something that neither we nor anyone else has been able to improve upon.
It is sometimes hard for the audiophile to accept, but all amplifiers are a compromise in at least one of four main areas-sound quality, construction quality, power, and/or price. Despite advertising claims, no manufacturer (including Audio Research) is able to offer an amplifier that is best in all four of these areas. The Audio Research D-76A amplifier was designed to excel in two specific areas quality sound and quality construction.
To offer more power per dollar would require a compromise in either sound or construction quality which would be pointless since the market is flooded with good "compromise" amplifiers. The D-76A was designed for the audiophile perfectionist that wants quality first and will take nothing less.
Experience the exciting difference that quality can make. Ask your nearest Audio Research dealer for a demonstration or try a D-76A in your own system.