Audio research reference 10 tube replacement

Many years since ref 10 is debut, and I just expect to have ref 11 coming soon.

Audio research  power amplifier is far better than its preamplifier, and due to 6h30 in the preamplifier,it becomes a  hard job, cause 6h30 is a strong horse and I am wondering who can ride it well.

I expect they change the drive tube in the ref 11 and then I will definitely go for it.

Reference 11 is a pipe dream it will never happen.

Reference 6SE upgrade will likely have a second chassis and Will be the new ref 10.  Unfortunately the upgrade won't happen for years as the 6SE upgrade really hurt customer relations, it was a mess 4 everybody.  They left the people hanging who bought reference six, how miserable

I'm hearing ref 10 is a dinosaur and not really a good buy at this point.

One way or another, they must move on with the ref 10, as it  has 6 years since debut.

Reference 6SE upgrade will likely have a second chassis and Will be the new ref 10. Unfortunately the upgrade won’t happen for years as the 6SE upgrade really hurt customer relations, it was a mess 4 everybody. They left the people hanging who bought reference six, how miserable

That’s the first I’ve heard about mass discontent over the 6SE release. The 6 still performs exceptionally, and holds value well. ARC has resolved the plastic remote complaints with a sleek new metal one. And they’re becoming much more consumer friendly with generous trade-in upgrade allowances, and discounted CPO (certified pre-owned) and FRU (factory refurbished) offerings. I’ve gotten a CPO and an FRU myself, and they’re fantastic - giving a real "new in box" experience, minus the long burn-in heartache. I’ve heard the backlog for SE upgrades is huge, but that’s more a sign of a hugely successful product (both predecessor and successor) than anything.

Good luck in buying new Russian 6H30 tubes!

Just bought a spare set from Upscale Audio last night; shipped today. They’re still available right now, but certain grades/options are out of stock and there’s no telling how future restocks will go. I’m probably set for at least 10 years at this point lol.

At 12 hours a day, the 6550 tubes in the power supply will need to be replaced at around 5 months. (2,000 hours.) The remaining tubes (6H30) will last about twice as long.

Is anyone really leaving these on 12 hours a day, every day? 😮

It appears maintenance costs Of 6SE r quite unfavorable.  If you plan on using it a lot for stereo and home theater listening and including electricity costs it may reach as high as $100 a month and that's a lot.

I don't think people really factor in electricity costs although at least standby is very minimal but when active it's close to 150 watts it adds up.

So much for serving a planet which I'm not too optimistic about decreased carbon. The trend is extremely unfavorable kind of sad