Audio Research I/50

Having recently heard the I/50 integrated I feel that it represents superb quality for 5K , For my part I’m not so sure about the styling tho 

Big ARC fan here and I like the more contemporary i/50 styling for WAF.

If ARC can deliver its typical product performance in a more contemporary package that perhaps more might want to own, I’m all for that.

A tube integrated amp has been on my bucket list for quite awhile and ARC is always one of my favorite go-tos for reliable tube gear and good sound.

I went to PU a turntable last week and had a brief listen the the i/50 driving Davone Grande. The integrated looked slick, the speakers even better. The setup sounded pretty nice to my ears. 

what do you mean by "the more contemporary i/50 styling" ?

This was taken from the I/50 owners manual.

Vacuum Tubes
It is recommended that you replace the vacuum tubes of your I/50 in sets. All of the tubes in your amplifier have been matched to have similar operating characteristics, to provide the best sound quality and reliability. 6550WE tubes should be replaced at approximately 2000 hours. 6922 tubes should be replaced before 4000 hours. Upon replacing a power tube or tube set, the I/50 must be biased by a trained technician to ensure proper operating values.

It seems like the amp can’t be biased by the owner of the amp. If that is true that would definitely be a dealbreaker for me. Just sayin’.