I have owned a pair of ARC VT150 Special Edition amps since 1998... I bought them used for about $9K and have NEVER regretted the purchase. I have owned a variety of solid state and tube high end amps, but these are the best sounding amps I have heard. They are paired with a pair of Wilson Watt/Puppy 6s and an ARC Ref. 2 MkII preamp. The sound is dynamic, detailed and tonally georgous. Since owning these amps I have tied several other amps in my system but have never been tempted to switch. I expect these amps to be the last ones I'll ever own. Soundstaging and imaging are remarkable, especially when playing vinyl.

lot´s of clean tubepower, lifelike wide open soundstage, realiable, Don´t use "difficult tubes", SE version is really handsome

bulkside and thus low waf, ugly if it is "just" VT 150

I have used my VT 150 SE´s with Wilson Watt3/Puppy2 and lately Dunlavy IVa and these amplifiers have great synergy with both of these speakers. Also any ARC LS-series preamplifiers seems to be good match with these amplifiers.

During my ownership these amplifiers have worked like a dream even thought these amplifiers have lot´s of tubes inside them and usually tubeamplifiers are concidered as somewhat unrealible: these are a bulletproof construction.

Today you can find these amplifiers in secondhad market for really burgain prices - for peanuts actually, concidering their reference class quality - pick up a pair of these monsters and you won´t be disapponted.

Similar Products Used:

ML n:o 27

I entered into tubes throught the "Sunfire route" and resently came accross a deal on a pair used VT-150 that I could not refuse. I am truely amazed by the details and dynamic range of these amplifiers. These amps are stone silent. The music starts and stops! I have had the chance to compare them to Golden Tubes SE-100 and Cary's new 572 single ended triodes. NO COMPARISON. I expected the Carys to sound better in some aspects and be a little more "musical." Not so, the big "muscle" ARC amps have all of the strengths and MUCH better detail and more dynamic than the Cary's. You can see directly "through" the amps to the music, the way it was meant to be.
On the down side the amps ONLY accept balanced inputs. Even if I did buy a preamp with balanced outputs (Audio Research for example) my speakers require an electronic crossover. So I am forced to use the balanced to single ended (RCA) adaptors. In the process you lose a LOT of gain. The only other option is to buy ARC's BL1 for around $695. Someone at ARC should have their butt kicked for making this marketing decision, especially for an amp this expensive. And the amp is also one big UGLY block box. There is a Special Edition (SE) that sells for $16,000 and is actully tolerable looking. The upgrade cost is $1,500. Thats a lot of money for basically a new faceplate.

Still, the sound of these amps makes me forgive all. I will NEVER part with these amps.