2. amps-preamps
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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.
emergingsoul
audio2design
1,351 posts
 
Isn't this sort of like complaining about how much gas your Ferrari uses or would be be more of a Camaro analogy?
denverfred's avatar
denverfred
252 posts
 
  DUH! I’ll give you $100 for your ARC preamp and that’ll give you a start toward something that you should have bought in the first place! Somebody needs to come up with a quick online audiophile competency test. Have you checked the "ohmage" on your speakers? Maybe they use too much energy too. Sorry. Maybe we need new ’thinking caps’ or ’tin foil hats’ or those crazy laser hats that are supposed to grow hair. Anything would be an improvement.
nmolnar
37 posts
 
McIntosh makes equipment for home theater, ARC does not.
bluewatermusic
5 posts
 
My suggestion is to purchase a high quality sound bar/sub combination driven off the TV for general viewing. Save the ARC for movies and audio. No need to listen to food network channel through a high def sound system. 
mhutama
15 posts
 
Sell the ARC and get a ss preamp.  Who uses tube preamp for general TV viewing anyway? 
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