Audio Research preamps EXCESSIVE OPERATING COSTS

If you are concerned about the price of tubes and even the small amount of electricity to power them, you are in the wrong hobby.  Get yourself a boom box and then you can complain about the cost of the battery’s.  I would never want my family to just sit around all day and watch TV and movies.  Makes for very lazy people. 

I believe that you have to assess, what is most important to you. Watching TV/ movies HT experience or listening to music. 

1.If you find that watching TV / movies takes priority then you should invest in a mid - fi Solid State HT System, with Subs etc, as others have suggested.

2.If you find that listening to music takes priority, then isolate it out of the HT system completely. Get a sound bar for the TV and Invest in fantastic tube equipment, speakers, power delivery, and cables....

3.If you need to have both, then treat them as two separate systems. Work within a budget acceptable for you, and put the majority of your investment  towards your tube based equipment for exceptional music listening. The rest put towards Mid - Fi solid state receiver and speakers/subs for TV and HT. Can get best bang for buck on used market.

You also need to accept the fact that there is no all in one solution. Yeah they market it but... Look at it like this

You want a Porsche 911 Turbo S because you want to go 0-60 in 2.2 seconds, with 640hsp.  However because you have your family to consider you are looking at a Porsche Cayenne - 350hsp 0-60 in 6 seconds - And it has a turbo boost sport package button that gives you more power when you need it. But most importantly is still a Porsche.
But you find the cost to maintain the Cayenne does not justify the sacrifice in performance you have to make or live with. So get the the family a used Chevy Trailblazer - (HT Solid State) Solid- reliable and does the job. Then Invest in a Porsche Carrera 4S - (High - Fi Tube Equipment) and meet your expectations.

Invalid
What is the watt level for operating your preamp?
The manual for the arc Ref 6se says it draws. 130 watts. Not sure how accurate this is and whether a lot lower when in bypass mode.

a mc mc255 amp draws about 65 watts at moderate levels.


I'm not sure, I'm running a separate power supply, the 2 866a tubes in the power supply draw 5 amps at 2.5 volts for the heaters. The preamp only has 2 6sl7 tubes in it. I'm sure the arc reference 6se has more tubes in it, and they probably run them hot. I know some tube preamps can go through tubes faster than others.

10 + hours of TV a day ?? WOW !!!  I can't even imagine that.  I don't even own one.  I have an ARC LS 27, and I get great tube life, and replacement costs are quite modest.

Feels like the OP is trolling us. As said, tube components are not ideal for HT applications. Buy a SS amp and move on. ARC will not be offended.