winged c 6550c is not good for ref 5se??

@MisterN, hopefully you managed to source the GE testing to New spec? Should you contract the rolling bug I would also recomend an early 60's solid grey plate, Have Fun .

Excellent,Ill give it a try next year,thanks.They look cool.My new speaker cables arrive in the next few days,Hidiamond d8,Ive never herd them.Ive got a recommendation for you,I bought a revelation audio labs precept pc for my cd player.It was very good,i took it off and plugged it into the power supply distributor,which the cd player and pre,and phonostage are plugged into,now ive got all the good stuff,more dynamics,tone etc going into everything.I replaced the recpticles on the distributor with all furutech gtx rhodium.Im very happy.

 
FWIW, the GE6550A (now NOS) is not a good tube for the REF 5/SE or REF Phono 2/SE. ARC discourages its use in those applications. I tried the GE6550A in the Ref Phono 2 and compared to stock it was tad warm, soft, and not as spacious. A fine tube in earlier CJ amps such as Premier 11 & 12.

The 6H30 DR works well in the ARC RP2SE and 5SE, but the difference from stock is not, imo, so great to justify today's prices. Hard to believe 10 years ago these were ~$30, but the last of 'em were brought over from Russia some time back by Conus Audio. It is a nice tube with a long life. In the ARC unit I heard it offer a touch less grain and a bit more refinement and extension in the top end.
 

@Jtimothya,

Of course ARC wouldn't recomend the use of Vintage Valves in their equipment, they don't retail them !

I am rather surprised at your findings with regard to GE6550!!! Which I have never yet found applicable to the several GE's that I have rolled as the regulator in a Ref5se, and for my part leave the stock Sovtek sounding a tad etched and sterile in comparison.That said I have no experience of the same comparison in a Phono 2.

Are you certain that you tried an 100%, or close to, emissions example?

Jtimothya..thanks for letting know your point of view.Ill have a little play with the 6550 just to know.