Audio Research Ref 6 SE

There has to be some happy medium, and I can totally understand why co’s don’t preannounce beyond a month or so having worked in various engineering companies.
Look at the other extreme- ps audio. Read their forums and their ceo has been openly discussing imminent release of great speakers for 3 yrs and still not out. Similarly for a digital server tho not as long.
You know there are people who put off purchasing 3 yrs ago and still waiting and are probably mad as hell as result.
I’ve been there - there are any number of setbacks that can happen in last month before release that can cause long delays, and if co announces more than that in advance and one of those happens and sales dry up co could literally fold in some cases

Not being an apologist but how far in advance do you expect them to preannounce?

It sounds like product not released yet, but announcement has been made already.
So it’s a question of how far in advance, where company knows following announcement difficult to sell current model. 
Whatever the magic day is, there will always be people who bought the day earlier, right?  So move announcement up a week to placate those people. But wait, then there’s still more who bought the day before that ..... 

someone will always get screwed

i think it has probably happened to everyone at one time or another. Not uncommon not to preannounce new models in many industries. I get it, it sucks. 
Look at pc industry in 80s and 90s or really any time. Been there. 

Got it. Yeah I can see why you’re unhappy. I wonder if they will work something out with you

Ironically, the rise of forums like this probably make it much less likely that companies will provide the kind of advance "heads up" you were looking for.

25 years ago if a company told a customer an upgrade is coming, they only had to worry about that customer and maybe the customers friends (who he/she told in person or by phone) would delay purchase - negligible risk to company.  

Today, telling one customer, who then posts it here or any of the other forums, could literally be like telling nearly the entire universe of folks seeking to imminently purchase (at least anyone who before spending $15k does a search to see what's up).

Obviously, tech companies are generally not going to disclose future design projects or features, even to their good customers.

If I call Apple today and ask them what features will be in the next iphone or when exactly it will be released, do you think they will tell me? Anyone who did would be fired immediately.

As one of first posters mentioned, always a risk in purchasing anything that a newer and better model will be released shortly. The fact that you asked doesn’t change anything if you asked outside of the window when company deemed it permissible to discuss, other than it would obviously be super frustrating due to the bad timing.

Sounds like here there was a window, happening now, and your purchase fell outside of it. That is terrible luck for sure, but it happens. Regardless, I hope they give you a discount on the upgrade path, though I highly doubt it would be free (why would it?) as you suggest.

I'm facing similar dilemma right now because I want to purchase Rega Elicit R and Cambridge 851n for $4.5k for 2nd system now but I'm holding off because I have a hunch each of them could be upgraded in next year.  It's just a hunch and could be wrong, but I've looked at the release date timeline for each company and it seems like it is getting close to when you'd expect upgrades for each.  I have asked both companies but of course the answer is the same one you got, and that doesn't make me angry, it's what I totally expected.  

Fair point about differences between apple and arc.  Good luck

Well unless they were sold out they certainly were sitting on "inventory," even if it hadn’t been fully assembled and boxed.

Here’s what I mean.

Obviously each time they get an order ARC does not order one set of printed circuit boards, and doesn’t separately order each of the individual components for that amp.

They have all of those pieces in stock and ready for the next scheduled production run of that amp. So although they may not have a bunch of them built and boxed, they likely still have sunk the $$ to have everything to build them, some of which (e.g., PCBs and certain components) likely won’t be useful for anything else.

I get it that my view on this isn’t as pro-consumer as yours, but that’s because I’ve worked on the other side and see both sides of it. (and obviously I’m not personally affected as you are so your frustration is fair given the bad timing, just presenting the countervailing view)

I don’t have your experience with ARC, as I only have one piece (DSI200 integrated). I think it is fantastic but it’s admittedly by far the highest-end amp I’ve owned so I don’t have lots to compare against in my room. I hope to one day move up the food chain.

As a longtime owner of dozens of ARC products, do you still feel that ARC makes the best sounding stuff overall from sound quality standpoint, and you are now just frustrated with customer service?

Or have you also noticed that ARC’s equipment is not what it used to be in terms of sound quality versus the competition?

Good to hear about sound quality.  Not so good about customer service if true generally.

Definitely hope ARC steps up here and works something out!

Glad it worked out