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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
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. 
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,433 posts
 
Glad to see you're taking it in stride.  Unfortunately, stuff happens.  As others have pointed out it probably doesn't make sense to fix.  It might just be a sign to get something different.  If you need more proof, go outside and look at the comet!
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