Audio Research Ref 6 SE

Comparing Audio Research (McIntosh Group), which is not a "tech company," to gigantic Apple (mass-marketed phones and computers) isn't really relevant. With computers, they're outdated in 18 months or so. Everyone knows that. ARC deals in a niche market. Anyway, I'm not counting on anything good coming of this. I'll be amazed if Dave Wasserman of Stereo Exchange even responds, but I'll let you know if he does. Thanks, everyone.

Fair point about differences between apple and arc.  Good luck

Ironically, the rise of forums like this probably make it much less likely that companies will provide the kind of advance "heads up" you were looking for.

25 years ago if a company told a customer an upgrade is coming, they only had to worry about that customer and maybe the customers friends (who he/she told in person or by phone) would delay purchase - negligible risk to company.  

Today, telling one customer, who then posts it here or any of the other forums, could literally be like telling nearly the entire universe of folks seeking to imminently purchase (at least anyone who before spending $15k does a search to see what's up).

ARC wasn't sitting on inventory. That would perhaps make its behavior marginally understandable. Dave Gordon and Wasserman could have simply said the 6SE was coming out in two months and I could have suffered with my LS28 for another few weeks. Or I could have gone ahead with a purchase of the Reference 6 and have saved the $2k, but it would have been an enlightened decision.

Well unless they were sold out they certainly were sitting on "inventory," even if it hadn’t been fully assembled and boxed.

Here’s what I mean.

Obviously each time they get an order ARC does not order one set of printed circuit boards, and doesn’t separately order each of the individual components for that amp.

They have all of those pieces in stock and ready for the next scheduled production run of that amp. So although they may not have a bunch of them built and boxed, they likely still have sunk the $$ to have everything to build them, some of which (e.g., PCBs and certain components) likely won’t be useful for anything else.

I get it that my view on this isn’t as pro-consumer as yours, but that’s because I’ve worked on the other side and see both sides of it. (and obviously I’m not personally affected as you are so your frustration is fair given the bad timing, just presenting the countervailing view)