Audio Research Pre-Amp advice

@pinwa ah…. No I said ‘no trouble “… I am on tube set #3 ish as I change the 6550 in the power supply at the 2 k mark. I and a few others love what a vintage Tung Sol Black Plate from NJ does there…

‘I guess to clarify for the OP, I don’t view routine and even the occasional bad tube as trouble.  The op should imo contact Randy at Optimal Enchantment in SantaMonica… he sells a bunch of ARC and will likely have a line on a 28, etc….
 

As to the tube counter, I’ve owned my unit since new and it is easy to keep a running log in the manual.

Find a used LS28SE here or on US Audio Mart. Buy from a reputable seller and you should be fine. I wouldn’t bother with any of the older preamps mentioned here if you have $6,000 to spend.

Hello, If you do get one it looks like your choices will be the Ref 5 SE and the LS28SE. These are amazing preamps. The Ref 5SE and the LS28SE are very close in output. Maybe even the same. The LS28 SE runs cooler due to not having the 6550 tube. Tomic and I both have the Ref 5 SE and have upgraded the 6550. I went with NOS Winged C since I could not locate the Tungsol I wanted at the time. This is the only tube you can roll. If you want that neutral sound for ever then get the LS28 SE. make sure it is a SE. upgrades take a long time and cost $$$. I have a fringed who has the LS28SE and loves it. Plus it runs cool enough to be on a covered shelf. I would not recommend this for the Ref5SE due to the 6550 tube. I believe the LS28SE is just a bit quieter than the REF5SE. It all comes down to the slightly warmer tube sound. I wanted the REF5SE for that reason. FYI the NOS tube is about $300. So $5700 would be your real budget because this makes a huge difference 

Yep…. And you might be shocked what 3x HRS Nimbus couplers can do under either …. 

@daveteauk

The reason I never needed a tube change in my ARC ReF 5SE was because I had a job. The max a day was one hour (often all I could manage was 45 minutes) and I spent a week or two out of the country every month. So, putting hours on a component came slow. I would guess it is not unusual for working folks… having an average 300 hours a year.

Now that I am retired I am able to listen nearly three hours a day much of the time. So, still over three years to change only one tube (6550WE), which I did. So, it will be another year to change the rest.