That is ARC. I had an SP 10 and then SP11. Had to retube every 8 months. Horrible life on those units. Now I have a Veloce' which smokes the ARC and tubes last for years. My Audio Note DAC5 is on 24-7 and I get at lest a year form the tubes and it is under $250 to retube.
Audio Research preamps EXCESSIVE OPERATING COSTS
Soooo disappointing.
So you want to use in home theatre mode. Get ready to pay up to operate. The tubes stay on and when family uses system 10 plus hrs a day for tv and videos, the tubes burn away. Most of the 8 tubes have life of 4000 hrs and cost $150 per tube to replace. Over 5 years operating costs could approach $5000 or more. And this excludes wasteful elec costs of $100 to $200 per year for bulbs running without being used. Sooooo disappointing.
I called audio research and they confirmed all this. Further, they lacked any sensitivity to theses issues. Seemed kinda arrogant.
Sooooo disappointing.
So you want to use in home theatre mode. Get ready to pay up to operate. The tubes stay on and when family uses system 10 plus hrs a day for tv and videos, the tubes burn away. Most of the 8 tubes have life of 4000 hrs and cost $150 per tube to replace. Over 5 years operating costs could approach $5000 or more. And this excludes wasteful elec costs of $100 to $200 per year for bulbs running without being used. Sooooo disappointing.
I called audio research and they confirmed all this. Further, they lacked any sensitivity to theses issues. Seemed kinda arrogant.
Sooooo disappointing.