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My #@%$ Cat Destroyed My ARC REF 5SE. Soliciting Suggestions.

(Public service announcement-keep your pets away from your audio equipment)

I love my cat. But not as much as I once did :-)
The short story is cat pee corroded the main board to my ARC REF 5SE. 

Homeowners insurance doesn't cover repair or replacement because owning a pet means you assume liability/responsibility. Ironically, or strangely enough, If my neighbor's cat or dog did this, I could collect.

My options-
Repair it. Fixing it will cost 7K. The main board alone is 6K.
Buy a pre-owned replacement at close to similar price. And if I go pre-owned, what's the market on a REF 5SE with a destroyed main board.
Go in a different direction.

What would you do?

TIA,
David
128x128wharfy
rikkipuu's avatar
rikkipuu
278 posts
 
Last I heard Tom at Northridge retired several years ago.  He was great.
kairosman's avatar
kairosman
291 posts
 
Agree with those who suggest to get rid of the cat prior to next purchase.
durkn
69 posts
 
I’ve seen a stuffed cat in person at a taxidermist. Looked like it was about to get attacked by a dog.

We had a cat & it pissed on our speakers & sofa.
Last cat we ever had.
We have two dogs & they never pee on speakers or equipment.

Sacrifice a power cord & a cat toy, get it stuffed, and enjoy it forever...
No more worries about equipment or furniture.
micatel
7 posts
 
Sorry for your trouble, but....  This may be the best thread I’ve ever read on Audiogon :))))))

If you had Farmers Insurance, they may have covered it and put your cat on TV.  
Hope you get it sorted soon.  Good luck friend.   
timlub
2,039 posts
 
Circuit boards can be repaired,  parts on the board can be replaced,  If it were mine,  I'd give it a try.  I realize everyone can't do this .  A few years ago I decided to dive in and truly learn about power amps, I've been purchasing old amps, rebuilding and repairing them.  I purchased a used Oscilloscope and haven't looked back. I think its worth the try. 
You need to find which circuit was shorted out by urine,  do a serious cleaning job there and start with verifying which parts are bad and if a circuit trace is damaged.  Good Luck,  Tim
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