Review: Audio Research Corporation HD 220 Amplifier


Category: Amplifiers

My musical tastes include primarily classical, jazz, folk/blues and some exceptional rock. Specific recordings can be discussed via phone @ 610-721-1304. Soundstaging, dynamics, transparency and coherence are paramount, while the correct tonality and warmth are of equal concern. In other words I need it all to be right or else I sell the stuff! My HD 220 has 300 hours on it at this point and it is exceptional indeed. My recent decent into Krell evo solid state gear left me wanting so I sold the rig and started anew.

When a system is in the "zone" for me it conveys lifelike dynamics, accurate tone, clarity with warmth and soundstaging to die for!! This amp does it like no other I've had on all types of music (taken as part of my current setup). One major note...USE THE STOCK POWER CORD!!! The HD 220 started to amaze me aftethunderousr I decided to try it's own power cord in place of my reference cords. As long as my ref 3 has a great power cord all is well. The amp conveys a sense of limitless power with explosive yet controlled dynamics...it is effortless but with great force and dynamic swing!! Treble is extended and full of sparkle but grainless and pure at the same time. Midrange is full and neutral with a tad of warmth, but not overdone. Bass is earth shaking and well defined with amazing definition. Focus and placement of instruments is the best I've heard. Width and depth of the soundstage is top notch as well. Palpability and presence are eerie baby...spooksville!!

Compared to the other great tube amps past and present it connects on excitement, dimensionality, dynamics and extension without the tube haze, lethargy and softness often found with their presentation. I prefer it over the 110 for real world reasons and for purely musical ones. Overall it takes one away with the music where very few other components take you!!

Money is no object for me ...the HD 220 is staying..it's that good!!

Associated gear
ARC Reference 3 preamp
Krell SACD standard V5.1
Krell Resolution 2 loudspeakers
MIT V2.1 Oracle IC's and speaker interfaces
Transparent MM power cord (ref 3)
MIT AC2 power cord (Krell SACD)
ARC stock power cord (HD 220)
Wattgate recepticles
Dedicated 20amp lines

Similar products
ARC VT100, VT200, VS110, VM220's, Ref 110, Ref 610T's
Krell FPB 600, 400cx, 350Mcx, evo 402
Levinson 336
128x128dave_b
Thanks for the review. It's very difficult to find any information on the sonics of this new Hybrid amp from ARC. It looks like I'll be buying an HD220 too, as soon as I get back to the States from Mexico. It'll be nice to have a good sounding ARC amp with only 4 tubes and no manual biasing. Esharp
Hello. Thanks for a good review but do you know they (AR) sell the power cord alone ?
Give em a call etran..remember however that the power cord testimonial only applies to it's use with the HD 220!
The farther you get away from Krell gear the closer you will get to the musical truth... This review was a no brainer thanks for posting..
It may be helpful to know that I tune my system for the largest most dynamic sound possible i.e...my speakers ar almost 14ft apart along the long wall of my 20 x 14 room. I sit against the far wall with the speakers facing almost directly forward with minimal toe in. My main complaint with otherwise great speakers like my wilson 6's is that they are designed to be aimed at your ears which always limits dynamics and constricts soundstaging. My res 2 speakers allow the soundstage to expand while maintaining focus and maximizing dynamics. I understand that Mapleshade has similiar recomendations. My room is filled with soft furniture, plants and artwork to break up standing waves and disperse frequency anomalies naturally without resorting to ugly room treatment panels.l