@stone1 Thanks for asking. I mentioned age as I second @chris_launder ’s observation that the multiple colors offered and relatively low pricing for an AR unit is meant to attract new and younger listeners to the brand. I bring this up specifically because I too wonder whether they expected the tube bias issue is something with which they either didn’t want to task young listeners (with no tube experience) and/or assumed even the mention of it would confuse or put them off.
I don’t see why they didn’t just apply auto-bias as a unit that people will assume needs a service tech and is a danger/pain to bias is probably even more off-putting than just saying, "hey, this unit does it for you with cathode bias." Even if hardly adjustable fixed bias sounds better, a lot of young listeners will still think the AR unit sounds appreicably better than most solid state to the degree that it’s worth checking out this old-timey exoticism. The VT80SE (with auto bias) sure does speak for itself.
We’ll see.