ARC Ref 75 vs. Ref 75 SE

07-15-15: Bifwynne

Have tubes arced and taken out bias resisters?? Yes!! But how often?? Maybe once or twice a year. And since I've been using KT-120 and KT-150 power tubes, tube arcing has been a very rare occurrence.

Cost of repair is about $100. There's an ARC authorized tech who lives near me and who makes house calls.

Bifwynne, do you keep track source of tubes that arc? Results will justisfy whether one should pay premium for ARC tubes.

Knghifi ... not really. The last couple of re-tubes came from ARC because the bias spread on power tubes sourced from a reputable tube vendor drifted too much. Btw, I may have overstated the times tube arcing has taken out bias resisters. I was being conservative and may have overstated the issue.

The main point is that power tubes may arc on occasion. The result cold be a blown bias resister. Also, at least with ARC amps, bias needs to be manually checked and adjusted on a periodic basis. This type of care and feeding may make ARC tube amps a non-starter for some. And that is a rational reason to consider another tube amp brand or a solid state amp.

In my case, it's not a big deal. I like the other pluses that ARC brings to the table.

Just saying.

07-26-15: Bifwynne
Knghifi ... not really. The last couple of re-tubes came from ARC because the bias spread on power tubes sourced from a reputable tube vendor drifted too much. Btw, I may have overstated the times tube arcing has taken out bias resisters. I was being conservative and may have overstated the issue.

I have 850 hours on orig KT120s in my REF250 so trying to decide where to buy the KT150s. $1600 from Upscale or $3200 from ARC. Hmm!

I already have NOS TS 6550s, Winged C and 6H30-DR so only need KT150s.

The main point is that power tubes may arc on occasion. The result cold be a blown bias resister. Also, at least with ARC amps, bias needs to be manually checked and adjusted on a periodic basis. This type of care and feeding may make ARC tube amps a non-starter for some. And that is a rational reason to consider another tube amp brand or a solid state amp.

In my case, it's not a big deal. I like the other pluses that ARC brings to the table.

Just saying.

Well, some people appreciate the precision of Ferraris, Porsches ... that requires additional maintenance and some only concern is getting from point A to B. :-)

I've had many different tube amps and they're all PITA compare to SS.

Knghifi ... that's a lot of scratch for tubes ... be it Upscale or ARC. Ironically, Upscale charges about $50+ for a KT-120.

If I have a "next time," I might check out a Pass or Ayre solid state rig. Both have earned high grades. In the meantime, I'm all ARC.

07-27-15: Bifwynne
Knghifi ... that's a lot of scratch for tubes ... be it Upscale or ARC. Ironically, Upscale charges about $50+ for a KT-120.

When time to retube, was planning SE upgrade but my mono already got some SE parts so will just buy the tubes. I'm leaning buying from ARC.

If I have a "next time," I might check out a Pass or Ayre solid state rig. Both have earned high grades. In the meantime, I'm all ARC.

Not sure how you listen but I've always had both. I usually leave my system on and when a great tune catches my attention, I'll go listen.

You should buy a SS amp. I like my Hegel H30. Checkout Luxman M-900U, Constellation ... The new PS Audio BHK is interesting. It's designed by Bascom King who also designed the Constellation Hercules. If SQ anything close to Constellation, it's a steal for the price.