arc ref5-se

"Low hours" everyone will tell you that! Don't believe it.

I mean, sometimes low hours really is low hours. Not everyone is out to scam. Some of us hobbyists accumulate lots of gear and don't give certain pieces much use for a very long time 😅

But the 5SE has lost a fair bit of market value since the 6 (and now 6SE) has been out for several years, and people seem to prefer the 6 by a lot. I definitely seem to recall units offered at 6500 sitting for a long time, even if minty. I sold my first Ref 6 for 8500 - probably well worth that $2K stretch. $6K seems OK if you don't want to stretch and really want to try it. 

Very nice preamp. HIfi shark will provide historical pricing. Recommend budgeting for tube replacement and service as there's no way of telling how many hours are on the Ref5 SE or how many owners its been through.

If you contact ARC and provide the S/N they can tell you the actual date of manufacture.

I would think so. I owned one for nearly ten years… I could have easily lived with it forever. I was upgrading my other equipment, so upgraded to the REF6se. Don’t worry about hours… they will last decades. You will have to replace the tubes occasionally… but these are real audiophile components made to last a lifetime.

I would jump on it, without hesitation. A screaming deal for the sound and quality.

@ghdprentice +1

True reference  components  a generation  away from new are still exceptional  many times the flavor is all that has changed.