Repairing older amps

If you have a good tech.....that's 3/4's of the battle in my experience....well designed equipment is certainly important. A good tech can add so much value added...I bow down to the one I use.

classe is excellent

Keep in mind that repairs can be expensive. So, don't buy a broken one thinking it will be cheap to fix. Some of these when they blow, they really BLOW (ie Threshold). Also, some amps have really matured over the years. Original Acurus was extremely harsh/sibilant. Where Classe has kept it even over the years.

I love classe amps their DR- series are built very well.

Classe factory support for old models is fantastic!!!!

Factory repair out of warranty is very costly reguardless of what youve been told,I know a gentleman spending over 2 grand to fix his Classe.Not too mention shipping cost.If you have a general repair guy find out his bench rates and always have the gear checked out before buying.You may find its now worth the effort.I would buy something used with remaining transferrable factory warranty or save your money and buy new.

I would consider Odyssey amps;maybe even a phone call to Klaus as he might have some B stock he would sell at a reduced price;this is what he did for me on a deal for mono extreme SE's.Odyssey products have a 20 year warranty that is transferable;a great selling point for when you want to upgrade.

Older Electrocompaniet amps are also solid and great performers.

Thanks everybody for these helpful comments. Odyssey looks interesting--I will definitely look into these amps.

I would probably include Adcom to your list.

If you are looking at older amplifier, whether tube or solid state, after about 15 years or so you will want to consider replacing the filter capacitors in order to maintain the reliability and performance of the amplifier.

Often filter caps will go longer than that, but after about 15 years their reliability is suspect. Certainly they will not be meeting the specs that they were originally built to.

If you don't replace the caps not only will the performance of the amplifier be reduced but you run the risk of damaging the power transformer. In some cases this can be a very difficult part to find and it is one of the most expensive parts in any amplifier, so this is something to keep your eye on.

I like CJ support. They fix all their stuff. I had a crackle in one channel of an MF-2500 in 2006. They quoted $84 parts/labor for the repair (bad cap) I got a price quote at the same time to upgrade it to a 2500A and they said they would waive the repair labor if I did the upgrade.

I think their labor rates are fair. There are a couple of SS for sale here now but at a few hundred more than you want to spend. May be worth it.

ET