Krell KSA100 vs Threshold 400A vs McCormack DNA 0.5

Wow Wow Wow !  I'm still amazed by these amps.  I tried a lot of amps but these are really special for the price they cost.  I would say they are the best compromise between tubes and solid state amps I tried.

Awesome ! ...Enjoy ! MrD.

I worked on the McCormack DNA 0,5 Deluxe yesterday and repaired it. One zener diode was shorted and two electrolytic caps were bulged with too much heat across them. I also redone all the solders on the main board because I didn't want to have the problems I heard with these boards. The amp was turned on all night on the bench and I tried it today in the system.  Sound is ok but this is night and day with Monarchy SM70 pair in balanced and bridged mode.  The SM-70 pair are effortless to listen.  The DNA 0.5 is a little harsh and lean in the mids. As the DNA 0.5 is considered as an old amp, I was tempted to give it a little more chance by recapping it. There's 32 electrolytic caps to replace and buying them is about $120 at Parts Connexion. I would do the job myself.

Now, do I loose my time and money on this amp if I do this job or it is better to sell it because I will never dethrone the SM-70 about sound quality even if it is upgraded ?
Please, don't tell me to ship it to SMC to do their upgrades. I consider this too costly.

Thanks

I want to do a followup about the amps I tried.
I lived with the Monarchy SM-70 pair in balanced mode during the time it took to recap the McCormack DNA-0.5. There was near 30 caps to change on the main board and the output boards. I also changed the emitter resistors with non inductive ones and redone all the solders on the main board This was a LOT of job. I let the amp work on the bench for 1 week before installing it in my system. When I heard it first, its sound was harsh with no soundstage. As this amp stayed rather cold with recommended bias, I decided to crank up the bias so the heatsinks reach 110°F. After 1 week with pink noise, the amp is now so good it stayed in my system. The SM-70 were really great but don’t have the DNA-05 grip. They were also a little too mellow in the treble. The McCormack is a keeper and should have a long life with all the job done inside it.

Very interesting, and congrats on your results.  I applaud your persistence.  As an owner of a "dead" late 80s DNA 0.5 Rev. A amp, it gives me hope.