2. amps-preamps
  3. 179040-156443

Amplifier Longevity Question

When I got started with quality two-channel equipment, after my first pair of decent speakers (B&W CDM-7NTs), I bought a Magnum Dynalab MD208 receiver.  This was in approx. 2001; a leap of faith, based mostly on a Stereophile review.  About a year later, after upgrading speakers, I bought a McIntosh MC402 power amp, and used the Magnum Dynalab only as a preamp and tuner.

Although I've since changed sources, speakers, and cabling, the MD208 and MC402 are still in use today.  (For about 7 years, they weren't used much; before and since they've been played daily, or close to daily.)  I have no complaints about sound quality.  I have noticed zero SQ degradation, despite two household moves, and placement in living rooms for the entire period.  My system (with Sonus Faber speakers) sounds good to me, and to my wife, a retired classical musician.  I wish the MC402 didn't weigh about 115 lbs, and would rather that our last movers hadn't lost the MD208's remote, and somehow caused the volume knob to decrease its immediate responsiveness (a very minor issue), but otherwise, I have nothing to complain about.

But nothing last forever. And at this point, a decent audiophile system is important to us. I'm not itching to make a change, but I am curious to get some sense from my fellow A'goners about the remaining useful life of these two components, which have served me well.  What should I reasonably expect?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

gg107

Showing 2 responses by erik_squires

erik_squires
16,477 posts
 

@blisshifi

You aren’t wrong, it has just been my experience that the output transistors are the one’s that are most likely to go out of fashion and impossible to find replacements for.

The small power transistors tend to be interchangeable or remain in production forever.

To answer the OP's question I was answering the question of"when will my gear die and not be fixable?" vs. how often will it need to be serviced.

erik_squires
16,477 posts
 

The two big components that are at risk of ending a piece of gear are output transistors or tubes and capacitors.

Power supply / bypass capacitors may leak over time and need to be replaced.  I put the longevity of newer caps around 30-40 years.  Sometimes those fail catastrophically and take out mulitple parts at once making it financially difficult to fix.

The other part to this is whether the output components are available if they fail.  Many a great receiver and amp have died from using parts that were no longer manufactured.

More to discover