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

The Ref 5se is an exceptional piece. I love mine. I bought it earlier this year for $6K, and then put in new tubes. I usually see them going for $6,500 on Agon. I guess the advantage to fixing yours and spending $7K is that you get a new main board and the factory measures and listens to it to make sure it's running like new. 

@w

About 20 years ago we had a preamp out for review with Harry Pearson of TAS. His cat urinated in the preamp section. It came back to us to see what we could do- it was a mess. I took it to a car wash, the manual kind with the high pressure sprayers and gave it a good spray at close range- getting the spray beneath the tube sockets and the like. Then I took it to the shop, let it dry and then replaced a few resistors that were damaged. After that added a bit of contact lubricant to the volume control and gain trim controls; after that it worked just fine.

FWIW at the time we had our circuit boards made at the same place ARC did (Electronic Industries; if that name is familiar to some of you old timers it is in fact the very same Electronic Industries that spun off Audio Research). I think the Ref5 was made prior to Electronic Industries being bought out so there is a good chance the boards were made there. This might not be nearly as serious as you think!

To a fellow AudiogoNer who has had “troubles” over the years.  I have a few tube amps in the “bone yard” that might ease your pain until you find a solution.  PM me and we can work out a deal that will ease your pain.  Take care.

😹