2. amps-preamps
  3. 160991-11545

Amp repair cost — is this right?

I recently sent my Musical Fidelity a308cr power amp off to be recapped. This amp is somewhere around 16-18 years old and one of the power caps failed. I contacted Musical Fidelity and sent it to a repair shop they recommended. Today I received an estimate to replace 18 caps, 8 of which are large power caps, resolder the boards, and re-bias the transistors. Basically a full overhaul. The quote I received, including return shipping (prob around $100) Is over $1,300 which possibly exceeds the value of the amp. That doesn’t include the $115 it cost me to ship it out. Having never had an overhaul done on a power amp like this, I’m wondering if anyone with experience can tell me if this sounds right. I guess I was expecting something more like $600-$800 but I don’t know why since I really don’t have a frame of reference. Perhaps it was the assumption it might be 4 hours labor (say $400) plus max $200 for caps. Is $1,300+ on track? Either way I’m going to be out the shipping cost plus a $160 fee paid for the estimate.
jnehma1

Showing 1 response by larryi

larryi
3,756 posts
 
Music Technology does terrific work and they are fair when it comes to pricing.  That is not to say that the shop that did the original appraisal is overpriced or otherwise not a wise choice.  At this juncture, that shop is the only one that really knows the scope of the work involved, so any other appraisal offered here is closer to a guess than anything else.

If you go with Music Technology, the one sort of downside is that they are pretty busy and may not be the quickest alternative out there.  They are good, but, that is no secret, which is why they are busy.
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