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My #@%$ Cat Destroyed My ARC REF 5SE. Soliciting Suggestions.

(Public service announcement-keep your pets away from your audio equipment)

I love my cat. But not as much as I once did :-)
The short story is cat pee corroded the main board to my ARC REF 5SE. 

Homeowners insurance doesn't cover repair or replacement because owning a pet means you assume liability/responsibility. Ironically, or strangely enough, If my neighbor's cat or dog did this, I could collect.

My options-
Repair it. Fixing it will cost 7K. The main board alone is 6K.
Buy a pre-owned replacement at close to similar price. And if I go pre-owned, what's the market on a REF 5SE with a destroyed main board.
Go in a different direction.

What would you do?

TIA,
David
wharfy
tom6897's avatar
tom6897
1,484 posts
 
Sorry to hear about your misfortune 😬 Buy a new amp to enjoy for a few years and wait for a great deal on a pre owned or parts only sale of a Ref 5SE to become available. Then replace that faulty board and decide who gets to use the extra amp or sell it. Quality never goes out of style, it’s also a great excuse to try something different you’ve had your eye on. I’ve seen $15k amp sell for 50-70% off after 5+ years.


jameswei
883 posts
 
Your ARC Ref 5SE is a very nice piece, although it is a bit old.

If you still liked how it was performing, I would recommend getting it fixed, even at the cost you mentioned.
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
6,179 posts
 
Sorry to hear about your loss. I wouldn’t spend $7K for repairs....the used 5SE been selling between $5k-$6K.

https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=audio+research+5se
fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,651 posts
 
I'd find a neighbor with a cat, tell them to mask up and bring it over.
theo's avatar
theo
2,765 posts
 
As a proud owner of the REF5se, I am happy to say, I don’t have a cat or dog and so far am fairly accurate at hitting the toilet. 
Sorry for your loss, I think ARC is being ridiculous by not selling the parts you need. What do they care, it’s not a warranty issue and the profit they make is US Currency. 
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