Just picked up my REF40 today.... Wow!

[Tonepub]

Yeah, I'll bet those 6550's in the power amp will go longer than 2000 hours. I had a defective 6550 in my REF 2 phono and the sound was very flat, with no three dimensional effect at all. When you notice your soundstage collapsing, you'll know.

I don't want to second guess, but the 6H30's are very robust tubes. My CJ ACT 2 had four of them and I got 18,000 hours from my first set. So I wouldn't be surprised if you get more than 5000 hours out of yours. ARC is very careful in their choice and measurements of their tubes...

[SRT-10 Viper]

when I had a Ref3 the dealer said you could get unto 7000 hours on the tubes. He told me to replace based on your ears as it will become apparent when they need to be changed.

[SRT-10 Viper]

Originally Posted by TOGA

Mine is on 1,200 hours, bought in August 2010.
Preblem is the 2 of 6550 are passed their half life already.
Do I have to burn in like 300 hours again with new tubes ?

Did you get a big change between 300 and 600 Hours? Right Now my high end is a little bright. The bass has improved over the last couple days.

[TOGA]

About tubes life, the user manual states clearly about this. 2000/4000
for two types of tubes.
About sound improving, I can't be sure as during the burn in I kept buying new cables and installed in system, But after 300 hours I just didn't care or worry about it anymore as I was enjoy the musics I played totally. However as I remember, I never felt it has any problem about high freq. Just that the bass was not full and solid when it was new.
totally by that time.

[TOGA]

What makes me worry more is that i can hear noise when I put my ear
close to tweeters. Since new and until now. if I put my ear around 3 inches from tweeter I can hear a hiss. And it is worse that the hiss from left and right ch. are different sound to each other. Left is more constant, right is oscillated. Left = zzzzzzzzzz, Right = ZZzzzZZzzZZzz

[SRT-10 Viper]

Originally Posted by TOGA

What makes me worry more is that i can hear noise when I put my ear
close to tweeters. Since new and until now. if I put my ear around 3 inches from tweeter I can hear a hiss. And it is worse that the hiss from left and right ch. are different sound to each other. Left is more constant, right is oscillated. Left = zzzzzzzzzz, Right = ZZzzzZZzzZZzz

I hear the hiss close to the tweeter like I did with the Ref3 and Ref5. It's a little quieter with the Ref40. I don't hear the variance like you mention. Both channels sound about the same.

[TOGA]

oh and there s inter-input crosstalk too. Like if you play CD, but change to other emptied input, you can still hear CD slightly. The CD input signal leaked to other input and v.v. too. Ah I have an idea which I have to try, I may need to configure other inputs to BAL too, as now
the other input are still in SE mode. I only use CD and PROC input in BAL modes. I am a two sources user.

[SRT-10 Viper]

I haven't checked for that, however I had it on my REF3/5. You could have the CD player on balanced and select CD SE and still hear the CD but at a much lower volume.

[cmalak]

Chuck/TOGA...just want to understand. Are you saying if you have the CD player on and you keep it playing but then switch to another source (let's say music server/DAC) while the CD is still playing, you get some of the CD's output still leaking into the music server/DAC's output? I have never had that on my Ref 3. I have 3 inputs on my Ref 3, the Ref CD 7, the Oppo 83SE, and the Nagra phono stage. The Ref CD 7 is hooked up through the BAL connections while the Oppo and the Nagra phono sources are connected through the single-ended connections. I have never had any cross-talk between sources. Have you guys talked to ARC about this because this sounds atypical to me.

I may have misunderstood what you were describing though, so just trying to understand it. Thx

[SRT-10 Viper]

Originally Posted by cmalak

Chuck/TOGA...just want to understand. Are you saying if you have the CD player on and you keep it playing but then switch to another source (let's say music server/DAC) while the CD is still playing, you get some of the CD's output still leaking into the music server/DAC's output? I have never had that on my Ref 3. I have 3 inputs on my Ref 3, the Ref CD 7, the Oppo 83SE, and the Nagra phono stage. The Ref CD 7 is hooked up through the BAL connections while the Oppo and the Nagra phono sources are connected through the single-ended connections. I have never had any cross-talk between sources. Have you guys talked to ARC about this because this sounds atypical to me.

I may have misunderstood what you were describing though, so just trying to understand it. Thx

Mine is different than that... My REF 3/5 would play on CD Balanced (While connected balanced) or SE still while connected Balanced but at a much reduced volume. I haven't tried that on the REF40. Sounds like his might have cross talk between channels. I don't have that.