I’m gonna give you another alternative. I have heard the i50and it punches beyond its build.
There was one major reason I didn’t end up with it: even with all of its color iterations, I could not stand the looks of it. I got the vsi75 instead which in my mind, just sounded "bigger" and more pleasing to my eye. There is a shop (Paragon) selling the 75 for $5995 plus $74 shipping.
When ARC announced the discontinuation of this integrated, this owner bought a dozen of these things. It does not auto bias but I consider this not a big deal in the least as it is so easy to do it’s like eating oatmeal. They even give you the plastic screw driver. It also does not have a phono stage but you’re almost better off as it gives you the opportunity to get a separate piece that is usually better than what they stuff in an integrated, You can get a real nice one for under a $1000.
When the 75 first came out, they were $7500. As they rave reviews started coming in, they went to $8000. then $8500, then $9500 and capped at $10,000 and all ARC did along the way was reconfigure tube selection to the eventual K150's.
You won’t be sorry with its selection as it pushes all of my buttons of immense sound stage, clarity, truth of timbre, presence of production, and dead quiet between the notes which is more important than people realize as this element serves as a spring board to the initial transients of the next notes that makes things sound accurate and lifelike.
