[The Trace]

Originally Posted by mulveling

Just got one of these; really beautiful looking and sounding preamp! And coming from a Rogue Audio preamp (Hera w/ motorized stepped attenuator), the remote is a dream to use.

That said, it's obviously a difficult unit to place within a typical audiophile setup. The manual wasn't kidding about needing "6-8 inches" of vertical clearance. Most units do fine with 3-4 inches of vertical, and open on all sides -- which is typical for an audiophile rack (turntable goes on top!).

In particular, the lucite cover seems to be a problem -- it's awesome to see inside, but this top insulates heat, and reacts to the top of the very hot 6550 in close proximity. With all the attention to detail here, I find it odd that this element got away. Sure, specify 8 inches clearance in the manual, but now a 1 box preamp takes up the space of 2 large components, when space is at a high premium in expensive audiophile racks.

How many of you Ref 6 users have grappled with this issue, and what was your solution? I've resorted to running with the top off (hands won't be going near the unit in operation), which helps immensely in heat dissipation. I wish that ARC supplied a metal cover, with larger cutouts over the 6550!

Just got a response from ARC. A new top cover is on the way. They responded with a couple questions and what was the case finish. Easy, to the point, non-accusatory. Just about perfect.