To me it is not about the actual cost but the cost down the line. Sure you can get it sent back. That will probably cost something. You can then factor in the frustration of dealing with the same questions over and over again. In the end you may save a couple hundred dollars but is it worth it? You got a certified professional to guarantee their work. You got the extra time and frustration of no amp. You probably could never equal what you will get back for $1300. If you think you can then so be it but $1300 is a pretty low bar for a quality amp. If it were me, I would just get it done and be happy to be listening again.
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.