All
Audio Research
Website:https://audioresearch.com/
Est. year: 1970
Audio Research is the oldest American manufacturer of High-End Audio equipment, founded in 1970 in Minneapolis with the explicit aim of introducing all then-advanced technologies in the field of music playback into a single, coherent product line, a founding mission that established the brand as a genuine pioneer of the modern American high-end audio industry.
Range & what it's known for
The catalog spans tube-based preamplifiers, integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers and DACs, with the celebrated Reference series and long-running LS and D-series models built around Audio Research's particular expertise in dual-triode tube circuit design, cathode-follower output stages for low output impedance, and hybrid tube-and-solid-state topologies that combine tube warmth with solid-state control and reliability.
Who owns it and where it's made
Audio Research remains an American manufacturer, continuing more than five decades of tube-focused engineering since its 1970 Minneapolis founding, with design and assembly continuing domestically in the United States.
The lineup in this catalog
Preamplifiers, amplifiers and DACs (22). Prices span roughly 5,000 dollars for entry-level tube electronics to well over 50,000 dollars for flagship Reference-series separates.
Who it's for
Audio Research suits buyers wanting genuinely pioneering American tube-based high-end electronics, backed by more than five decades of continuous engineering history as one of the industry's founding names, spanning both pure tube and hybrid tube-solid-state topologies. The company's LS and Reference-series preamplifiers in particular have remained in continuous production and refinement for multiple decades, giving Audio Research a genuinely long-running model lineage that few rival American high-end brands can match in terms of sustained continuity. Collectors and long-term owners frequently seek out specific vintage Audio Research models precisely because of this sustained model continuity, which supports easier parts sourcing and service compared with more frequently discontinued product lines. Buyers seeking service on older Audio Research units generally find parts and technical support more readily available than for shorter-lived competing brands. The brand's ongoing relevance among both vintage-equipment collectors and buyers of current-production models reflects a rare combination of historical significance and continued contemporary engineering investment.
Range & what it's known for
The catalog spans tube-based preamplifiers, integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers and DACs, with the celebrated Reference series and long-running LS and D-series models built around Audio Research's particular expertise in dual-triode tube circuit design, cathode-follower output stages for low output impedance, and hybrid tube-and-solid-state topologies that combine tube warmth with solid-state control and reliability.
Who owns it and where it's made
Audio Research remains an American manufacturer, continuing more than five decades of tube-focused engineering since its 1970 Minneapolis founding, with design and assembly continuing domestically in the United States.
The lineup in this catalog
Preamplifiers, amplifiers and DACs (22). Prices span roughly 5,000 dollars for entry-level tube electronics to well over 50,000 dollars for flagship Reference-series separates.
Who it's for
Audio Research suits buyers wanting genuinely pioneering American tube-based high-end electronics, backed by more than five decades of continuous engineering history as one of the industry's founding names, spanning both pure tube and hybrid tube-solid-state topologies. The company's LS and Reference-series preamplifiers in particular have remained in continuous production and refinement for multiple decades, giving Audio Research a genuinely long-running model lineage that few rival American high-end brands can match in terms of sustained continuity. Collectors and long-term owners frequently seek out specific vintage Audio Research models precisely because of this sustained model continuity, which supports easier parts sourcing and service compared with more frequently discontinued product lines. Buyers seeking service on older Audio Research units generally find parts and technical support more readily available than for shorter-lived competing brands. The brand's ongoing relevance among both vintage-equipment collectors and buyers of current-production models reflects a rare combination of historical significance and continued contemporary engineering investment.
