2. vintage
  3. 157910-75799

Reputable restorer for vintage integrated amp

Just purchased (but have not yet received) a Yamaha A-960 integrated amp. Should be here sometime next week. I bought it because of its great phono amp section and plan to use it for that purpose only. Owner says it had light use. But on further research I saw posted here in an old thread that this particular amp has a problem with capacitor failure which could result in a fire. Before putting it to use I'd like to have a reputable tech restore it to upgraded, safe levels. I live in the greater Kansas City, Missouri area and have used a local guy in the past (but it took him months to reset my power amp after I carelessly let the left and right speaker plugs touch and short the amp). From what I understand all he did was put in a reset code. I wouldn't mind shipping the Yamaha amp off. I just don't want to be waiting for more than 2 or 3 months to get it back. Anyone had their vintage components worked on and loved (or hated) it? I'd love to hear about your experience (the good, bad and ugly). Thanks in advance for all the recommendations. 
mewsickbuff

Showing 4 responses by mewsickbuff

mewsickbuff OP
233 posts
 
Thanks k5d. How long did it take for them to get your preamp back to you and what did they do to it?
mewsickbuff OP
233 posts
 
Thanks motorawayl. Stereorehab says they use only genuine replacement parts. I bet those are hard to come by. Can't see how it wouldn't be expensive, too. But once my unit arrives, I'll give them a call. 
mewsickbuff OP
233 posts
 
k5d, that was very thorough. Your Perreaux looks quite nice. Never heard of the brand until now, but there are so many brands to choose from and America only has a portion of what's available. Glad to hear Precision Audio Labs Service Center kept you informed and had a quick turn-around. Looks like I may be giving them a call in the near future. Thanks.
mewsickbuff OP
233 posts
 
The amp arrived. I took the lid off to have a look and found the capacitor doomed to start a fire was missing. Don't know if the original owner's had it fixed back when this issue first came about, but I've lucked out. The amp is now being used as a phono preamp in my HT system, this way family (my kids and grandkids) can enjoy vinyl from time to time. Doesn't mean I'll never call Precision Audio Labs, afterall our TT is 40 years old and the Hamon Kardon AVR is somewhere near 20 years old. But after placing a few Synergistic Research ECT's in the TT, AVR and Yamaha, the system has never sounded so good. Thanks to all who replied.
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