The Classic 60 Hybrid Stereo Power Amplifier resembles the long-popular D115 in Audio Research's family of High Definition® power amplifiers. But its lineage is strictly Classic 150. Which means nothing less than state-of-the-art in design, construction, musicality, and operational convenience...at an affordable price.

Like the Classic 150, the Classic 60 proceeds from the notion that power ratings don't always describe a power amplifier's real capabilities. Far more important are such qualities as dynamic stability. lucidity, subtlety.

And to achieve those, Audio Research has used its traditional partial cathode coupling along with triode operation of the Classic '60s eight 6550 power output tubes. Additional circuit improvements, as well as the usual rigorous parts selection and manufacturing Audio Research, are noted for, also contributing sonically.

Translated into the language of listening, this signifies stunning bandwidth, a noise floor virtually beneath audibility, and musically fulfilling SPLs at dramatically lower gain settings. Dynamics, timbres of individual instruments, soundstage, and musical emotion all surge out from a black velvet of silence.

Simply put the Classic 60 resolves far more of a musical program than amplifiers rated at two, three, or four times its seemingly modest 60 WPC.

But the Classic 60 is easily up to the task of driving all but the most demanding loudspeakers, even in spacious listening rooms. And while it shows modest preamplifiers in their best light, it also shines when coupled with premiere designs, such as Audio Research's SP14 or SP15.

Convenience figures are high on the Classic 60's list of attributes, as well. For example, the DC balance of the output tubes is maintained automatically, while tube biasing continuously adjusts to changes in incoming line voltage. Performance stays razor-sharp without bothersome tweaking or adjustments. And quiet fan cooling, along with triode operation, means significantly longer tube life. A Classic 60 owner can look forward to years of low-maintenance performance