Why so many ARC Ref 6SE preamps up for sale?

Where have you been for the last 12 months?

As of 10:06 AM EST today, there's not a single ARC Ref 6SE for sale on A'gon.

Why do people feel the need to ask why “insert component” is for sale?  Things come and go.

This might be slightly off topic, but can anyone confirm what kind of volume control module/mechanism the REF6SE has?

Over the past two months there were like 7 Ref 6es listed internationally and none in the US. What the hell are you even talking about? You’ve apparently been here about 23 years and started six threads, and THIS is where you wanna go???  What’s your agenda here?

According to HiFi Shark, there are 4 Ref6SE for sale right now on US Audio Mart

There have been constraints on getting tubes.  I personally had issues about a year ago getting tubes for my REF6SE and REF160S.  That is the only reason I could think of.

I see many of those WhySoManys posted here on different brands and models, but overall it' safe to assume that it can happen to any make or model of the audio component at any time of the day or night.

I think, as a general rule, that the components for sale here and on USAM reflect what was popular during the period when the components were new. Botique audio companies don't publish their sales figures but ARC is a popular brand and they have sold a lot of gear. I remember when this preamp was introduced and it got absolutely gaga reviews. I'm sure that a lot of people rushed out and bought one and now some of those owners have moved on to the next hot thing and they are selling their ARC gear.

I peruse the AGon and USAM listings once in a while and I've seen times when there seems to be a lot of units of a particular component for sale at the same time. With the amount of gear that cycles through these sites it is not unusual to see a disporportionate number of a particular model for sale. In a couple weeks it's something else.

I have a REF6 and I love it.  I recently thought of listing it, solely because I wondered about the future availability of replacement tubes.  But it seems like there is a significant demand and supply of tubes -- just look at the number of NOS tubes from the 50's and 60's available.  I have a full replacement set of tubes for the REF6 anyway, so I figured that I would not mess with success.  Maybe some of us, as we get older, prefer the convenience of solid state gear rather than worrying about tubes.  One thing that I am NOT worried about is ARC's willingness to stand behind their products and repair them if needed.