He didn't really go anywhere.....
www.acoustic-reality.comHe has a line of cheaper products (2x230w/4ohm/stereo) at $599, and $999 (each) monoblocks at (1000w/4ohm)....and then other products at the high end of the price range.
I cannot speak for Peter, nor do I have the time to browse through each product brochure, but I think the stuff at the bit higher price range is equivalent (and/or improved) from the earlier named, and more costly products, such as the EAR2. If I remember correctly, the lower cost products, such as the EAR202 may not use exactly the same ICEPower setup, or may have different power supply configurations...
I cannot comment on the lower priced products such as the EAR202, but I did own an EAR2, and was utterly impressed with the amplifier. Its since been sold, and I've been toying with ugly, vintage low powered SET's for awhile, but at $599 for a Stereo ICEPower amplifier, even if it was an relatively uncustomized/tweaked design, I've been awfully, awfully tempted to order one and give it a shot, especially knowing some rather awful prices I've paid for DACs, interconnects, and power cables in comparison...
I still find I have an attachment to the little obscure triodes, and will probably run this path for a bit more, but somewhere in the curiosity spree, when I need to remember the other side, it will certainly be something ICEPower based....and its awfully hard not to jump at Peter's prices..
With the EAR2 I found an often ruthless presentation of what's downstream in the sense of garbage in/garbage out, whether you are speaking of the source material, or the source equipment + material. Certain changes were able to take a system sounding 'eh' to switching things and going 'holy f'ing crap!' But it took some fidling, and deciding on balance or ruthless in system configuration... On ruthless, great recordings were absolutely amazing. Crap was to the point of intolerable.
I would have loved to have tried the EAR2 with a computer based source, and then have my futzing being with different DAC's, from ruthless, to more natural sounding, and see where things went for there...
At some point I'll succumb to both curiosity (again, and as usual), and a want to return to convenience (things like single volume controls or remote controls) and purchase one...
Its also good to see that Peter is embracing the PC audio world, USB, Firewire, digital EQ, etc, and starting to sell more 'full system' audio solutions. Though many of us that spend time reading through forums and experimenting with this or that, whether DIY, or just component swapping, I applaud any vendor that takes this aim...
Personally, the one thing I wish is that I saw new developments from Peter in the world of loudspeakers. He does have his rediculously priced, thin, line sources that I have not heard, and could never purchase, but I have not seen anything new -- just the old triangles, and the retirement of the monitor speakers he used to sell (owned a pair of Studios), that were pretty terrific speakers, and could have been even better with further focus on cabinets, and further tweaking....
He's gotten a lot of crap for customer service, and general antics in the past, but he does put out good products, and at good prices, as well as get new things to market quickly. I haven't heard much in the way of negative comments in a long, long time, and he's still in business, so assuming customers do exist, and maybe things are in order.... Who knows...
