Solid State to replace Audio Research REF110?

Dbarger, for $40,000 those amps (ref 610- 750's) ought to have a
clapper! As we all know audio companies seldom if ever will post failure rates or repair statistics. My point is for the kind of money one pays for the
Ref 110 - 175 or for any tube amp that exceeds 4 figures,with the technology we have today what is the problem with an auto-bias? There are ways to deal with the signal degradation and burnt resistors.Look at the cost of the Prologe gear, have you seen a thread that mentions a resistor frying the pcb? Why does one have to spend $40,000 to get that kind of protection.

As for the internet, we all search these threads to make decisions concerning purchases and gear. Until we start seeing published repair rates I suppose we will continue to defend and discuss or disparage protection issues or lack thereof. Happy New Year to all.

There is a reason for everything---almost. I am sure that ARC engineers know how to insert a fuse for protection of the circuit instead of a resistor. Would save lots of customer inquiries, returned amps in the tube warranty period and customer cost of repairs, the profit for which probably goes mostly to their authorized service people.
Many of us would prefer the ease of a fuse in the circuit, but not if it degrades the sound. Hopefully, the ARC guys find a way someday---but for now, I'll take ARC's word for it.
Gary (Hifigeek) --where r u?

As has been pointed out, fuse protection isn't synonymous with sound degradation (this is a faulty premise). There are excellent sounding tube amplifiers that use fuse protection and don't destroy resistors in the process.

Until we hear back from the man with the soldiering iron, let's hold judgment.

Gpgr4blu makes some fair points. ARC engineers are not amateurs and it should be a given that they know what they are doing. In furtherance of these points, I would fall out of my chair if it turned out that the reason ARC didn't use drop in fuses or similar protective components was just to save a couple of bucks. The MSRPs of the REF 150, REF 250 and REF 750 are $13K, $26K and $55K, respectively. It would be madness to think a reputable company like ARC would look to save a couple of bucks on some cheapo parts making such expensive equipment unless the designers sincerely believed that "more would be less."

Look ... I get the crabbing. I've owned ARC tube amps for quite a few years. I don't like the PITA inconvenience of calling a service tech to my house. More than the out-of-pocket repair costs, I miss not having the use of my system. So I think I get it.

Now ..., let's flip it around and ask these simple questions: How well does ARC gear work? Putting a finer point on the question, how good does it sound? The short answer to the first question is, except for the infrequent pesky open bias resister issue, I never had any other problems. And the answer to the second question is, IMO, excellent. Of course folks have their own opinions which I respect. But those are my opinions.

So where IS that elusive man with the soldiering iron??

Hey guys, it's just a hobby. Let's enjoy our systems and be grateful that we can.

Happy New Year.

Bruce

As has been pointed out, fuse protection isn't synonymous with sound degradation (this is a faulty premise).

I guess ARC and Ken Stevens @CAT didn't get the memo.

It's obvious ARC and Convergent don't want fuses in their design for whatever reason. If you don't like their approach or sound, buy something else. What's the big deal?

ARC and CAT have been in business for a long time, well respected and with a large loyal customer base. So either reliability is an overblown issue or sound quality trumps everything.