"02-04-15: Pehare
In re ARC...I once owned a new ARC vsi55 & it was disappointing as it wasn't refined or resolving."
I would agree with that. They tried to do too much for too little money. Its hard to build a good tube preamp for what that thing sold for, let alone an integrated.
"02-02-15: Eljack
Didn't know any VAC was available anywhere near 6k, sweet"
If you don't need an integrated, the PA series amps come up every so often, for far less than 6k. And they're powerful enough to drive a good range of speakers.