Finishing What's Started: Audio Research Launches New Integrated Amp
udio Research's new I/50 integrated amp ($5000) is the first product from the venerable company to be fully finished in-house. It uses two matched pairs of 6550WE tubes, along with three 6922 tubes, to produce 50Wpc. The I/50 has two sets of single-ended inputs and one XLR input, along with 4- and 8-ohm speaker taps and a headphone jack. Its three top-mounted controls -- for power, input, and volume -- are duplicated on its remote control. Display information comes from two LexieTubes, which provide a distinctive green dot-matrix indication of input selection and volume. Options for the I/50 include a phono module ($750) and DAC (available in 2022). The phono module provides 42dB of gain, allowing choice of moving-magnet and high-output moving-coil cartridges. The DAC will have multiple connection options and offer an array of decoding formats that, according to Audio Research, "accommodate the wide spectrum of music formats and resolutions." New for the I/50 is its in-house-created Cerkote finish,
courtesy of Audio Research's new finishing lab, which includes a purpose-built painting
facility along with laser-imaging and marking machines. The I/50 is offered in two body
colors and six top-plate colors, and its "luxurious finish [is] normally found only
on much more expensive products." The finish is "designed to be enduring and
easy to maintain." |
