They’re still around: lovers of the time-honored tube sound. The new Audio Research I/50 is tailor made for this group of audiophiles.
The new Audio Research I/50 is a tube amplifier. There’s really no escaping that conclusion, because the tubes in this ‘old-school’ design are simply placed on top of the device. Makes it very service friendly of course! Furthermore, it’s a modular design, you can later add a DAC module and (or) a phono preamplifier module if you wish. The output stage delivers 2 x 50 Watt max; both 4 and 8 Ohm speakers are supported. The device is easy to operate, with the number of controls limited to the necessary. However, a display showing the selected input and the volume has been provided. In terms of inputs, you can choose from three line inputs and 1 x XLR. One input can be set as pass-through if desired. The Audio Research I/50 costs €6498.