Do amps degrade over time?


Most of my system is fairly new but I have a 15 year old Sunfire Cinema Grand amp. I had it serviced and recapped a few years ago when it started giving a buzzing sound (I realize capacitors need to be replaced after a while). I'm wondering if it's worth upgrading it. To be honest, I would probably replace it with something similar but newer. So my question is: Does the performance of a solid state amp degrade over time sonically? Would I get an improvement in sound quality with a newer amp? Or should I just keep using it until it really breaks down?
malcolm02

Showing 1 response by drastic88

As you state capacitors partially electrolytic do degrade over time, a hum is normally the first sign that a cap is on the way out. Visually it may show signs of leakage or swelling.
I would look first at the power supply section, it’s likely a main power cap is at fault.

Other components can also degrade a little, like resistors, more so Power types, but it’s unlikely you’ll find many of those in a modern amp these day’s. Most solid state devices tend to last, unless shorted out or they over heating for any reason, if any blow it’s often due to a another faulty component down the line.
It seems your amp has two large 20,000uf electrolytic capacitors for the power supply, so I would say they need changing. It’s well worth having it serviced. Good luck.