Should I repair my Creek 4330 or replace it?

I'm back to answer my own original question. In the end, despite all the very interesting and helpful and enthusiastic advice, I decided to repair my Creek 4330.

If you've followed this thread you know that a local shop, HiFi Heaven, failed twice to fix the amp's problem. I next contacted Mitch Singerman and sent the amp to him for repair. He immediately diagnosed the problem (HiFi Heaven had "installed nonstandard parts causing additional failures" and was a "really bogus job") and fixed the amp. It sounds fantastic now, just like the amp I fell in love with 25 years ago.

I asked HiFi Heaven for a refund but got no reply. Now preparing my online review of their - and my - mistakes.

Thanks again for everyone's help!

scerwin
I can totally relate to this thread and your love for the Creek 4330 Integrated amp. The good news- yes, the 5330SE is a nice step upward while retaining all of the sweetness of the 4330. Do not hesitate purchasing the 5330SE, as this model, is getting harder to find (especially in excellent/mint condition). These amps are special indeed and hold their own compared to other Integrated amps costing substantially more money.
Keep us posted on your progress.Happy Listening!

Here's my review of HiFi Heaven in Fairfax, VA.

HiFi Heaven might be the right place for some people. Not for me. I brought my Creek 4330 integrated amplifier in with a bad volume control (one channel had dropped out) even though I knew this wasn't an authorized repair shop for Creek equipment. That was a mistake I won't make again. Here's what happened next.

I paid for the repair and brought the amp home. After 10 hours of use, the same channel stopped working. I brought the amp back and Brett said he fixed a frayed wire on the volume control "caused by the technician." Hm, okay. Brought the amp home again.

A few days later the same channel went silent again. I asked Brett for his recommendation for an authorized repair shop. No reply this time or, for that matter, ever again.

After some research, I sent the amp to a repair shop in California. The Creek expert there tallied up everything HiFi Heaven had done wrong, writing that it was a "really bogus job" which "installed nonstandard parts causing additional failures." He removed the parts and fixed the amp. I sent Brett the invoice detailing these mistakes and asked for a refund. No reply. Frankly, I don't much care anymore. I've learned my lesson. My amp finally works and I won't make this mistake again.

Thanks for the follow-up. I'm glad the Creek is working well again. Not sure how long capacitors last, but when the time comes for your Creek, please check out "Kendeil" from Italy. I ordered from Greece the ones my Arcam Alpha 10 int. amp needed. Wow...what an improvement. ($40 total w/my own labor to install.) BTW, the Creek A42 I bought on Ebay arrived and it is a wonderful sounding compact amp. Definitely hear the class and pedigree. Good listening! Bill.

I had a bad experience buying a used Mac Receiver from Hi-Fi Heaven too. Had low volume issues and never was quite right. Bottom plate had been removed and many of the screws were missing. I ended up selling receiver to someone revealing the problem it had as I didn’t want to add anymore expense.