Typical lifespan for a 5 channel power amp?


Hello All,

So last year I had a chance to get my hands on a Simaudio Moon Titan HT200 5 channel amp. It was listed for $5500 on Ebay. I threw out an offer of 3K cash never ever expecting to get it, yet they accepted (I was within driving distance and that was very intriguing for the seller to not have to ship this beast and we did it offline thereby saving the seller fees, etc). It had low hours and really is in pristine shape. I had wanted this amp since it first came out in early 2000. Don't get me wrong I am thrilled with this amp and love it. However I can't help but feel since it is quite a bit older, and I do use it every single day for music, tv watching, movies, how many more years does this thing have left? Would I be better selling now while it still is in full, pristine operating condition and getting something new like say an Earthquake Cinenova Grande or ATI 6005?

Any thoughts/advice greatly appreciated...
kingbr

Showing 4 responses by kingbr

Thank you for all the great advice folks! I always appreciate and value the time and opinions of those of you here that take the time to respond and help...You have definitely boosted my confidence level and I am leaning heavily towards keeping and just enjoying (continuing to enjoy) this magnificent unit. Back in the day it was my "dream" piece when it first came out but I could not afford it. So I ended up going with Rotel RMB1095, @ghdprentice :)...I LOVED that amp and only sold it because of my divorce. But getting this unit was a dream come true, especially for the price. Honestly I almost felt guilty especially when I saw it. But again I was willing to drive (4+ hours) and offered cash in hand so he relented after trying to negotiate a bit but I wouldn't go above the 3K...

Much as I would have hated to sell the Simaudio (interestingly Dynaudio actually recommends Simaudio gear as an excellent match with their speakers-and I currently have Dynaudio Evoke speakers), it is getting up there in age and I was a bit concerned that maybe best to make a move before it's life cycle comes to an end and I really had no idea of the typical lifespan. I will say that in the 1 year + I have had it it barely gets even lukewarm even after running all day long. There was only 1 occasion where it was actually a bit on the hot side to the touch but that was after running all day in 5 channel stereo mode at pretty loud levels...

Once again thank you all for taking the time to respond :)
I actually reached out to Simaudio and they replied right away. They said since this unit came out in 2001, every single one of them is still "active". They only see about 1 a year for servicing (and he said it's usually because someone shorted a binding post or defective startup). He recommended if I have an opportunity to be without the amp for a few weeks I send it to them for cleaning and calibration...WHAT??? I can't go without this thing for 1 day, LOL!!!

@perkadinI  Thank you for the kind words and info...What Danes do you have? 20+ years ago when I started out in this hobby I went through all the usual's (DefTech/Paradigm/PSB/B&W) and someone recommended Dynaudio. Literally the minute I listened to the Audience 82's it was game over. I remember thinking I didn't even know speakers/sound could get this good. I still miss my Audience speaks, but the Evokes have filled that hole more than adequately :)...

 @jl35 I honestly LOVED the 1095 more for music than HT actually, lol...There was something just pure magical about the Dynaudio/Rotel combo for me back then. I loved that amp!
@perkadin the Contour's are my next step after I win the lottery, LOL! I've never even listened to them and I don't want to because they're outta my league and I love my Evokes so all that will do is mess with my head:)

Thanks @erik_squires  I have the ventilation piece covered (uncovered actually:) as the amp is on its own stand beside my entertain ctr...so it's got plenty of breathing room...
@gandlshevchuk You are extremely correct, that was great insight actually! Thank you:) I really appreciate you sharing that experience...It certainly helps...

The gentleman I bought the Titan from (also a dealer) had the same dilemma almost verbatim as you, his comment when I picked it up was "I wanted to keep this for myself for my own system but I couldn't find a preamp worthy of matching". He definitely didn't love selling the Titan:)