1 - Get it recapped
2 - If its from the 80's-90's is sure to need new caps.
But why look at 30-40 yr old amps that are already worn out? There is more to an amp than just caps. Plenty of newer amps on the market that fit your budget.
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I want to try the Maggie 7.1s, they must be awesome.....
But seriously, get a 200wpc amp minimum and not too old, a Parasound A21 would be just over 2500 bucks.
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agree that 30-40 year old high power amps will need a recap...currently very happy with Odyssey Cyclops Extreme SE Integrated with Magnepans, believe the amp section is same as the Khartago...
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I've read some good things about the Khartago. from what I've read they seem to to have the characteristics in sound that i'm looking for.. thanx
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I'm getting ready to list a Parasound A21+ that is 6 months old with less than 100 hours of listening time. that's one way to find an amp you know is good.
Much harder for a non-expert to buy and old amp and refurbish it. Of course you have to pay a lot less if you're going to refurbish.
Jerry
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What about Mark Levinson 33’s or 33H’s. Those were top of the line. For recap service and years of more use are they worth the gamble?
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The Mark Levinson 33 or 33h will drive them no problem but the caps cost more than his budget if he gets them all replaced then there is the labor plus what ever you have to pay for the amp.
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Just the caps? Jeeze !
Well maybe??????????
I COULD eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a year
.
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Oh I forgot to mention earlier,
I also can't afford Class A amps.
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Good advice on Odyssey Audio:
I lean toward the Stratos over Khartago ... (with upgrades) within your budget
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I don’t think you’d have any recourse if you bought it used. Needing new caps can present in may ways from not working at all, to dull sounding presentation, and a host of other problems. I bought a pair of Mac mc 30s, that one started over heating and red plated my output tubes all because it needed new caps.
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Thanx ! black bag 20 those specs look very attractive !
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You can get the Parasound A21+ Within a couple hundred bucks
of you budget and you will not be disappointed. I’ve had one for a year or so and
could not be happier. Service is in California with great customer
care. I haven’t had any issues. Very powerful articulate amp
Good luck Willy-T
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A couple of years ago I was in the market for a good, but used, Mark Levinson 585 Integrated amplifier. As part of my research I looked for posts on how to determine if capacitors need to be replaced.
I copied and saved relevant Audiogon comments I collected on buying a used amplifier; I hope you find them useful:
- Depending on the unit’s age you may be looking at replacing all the capacitors in the circuit, and this could prove expensive. But it’s worth doing to optimise reliability and performance, particularly if you intend to use the product for a while. Other internal components will tend to have far longer lives and aren’t worth worrying about.
- Usually the electrolytic power supply caps will start to go first, which will cause a hum through the speakers.
- Worn capacitors will result in an amp with an increase in noise or hum, possible ghost notes and a definite deficiency of punch and low end. Often times the capacitor will bulge, or leak when they wear out. Other times an amplifier will have a pulsating-type oscillation known as “motorboating”. This is another sign that the time has some for the electrolytic caps to get replaced.
- If a filter cap is going bad, you can hear a lot of buzzing, including but not limited to 60Hz. If you actually look at capacitors inside the amp (do not touch, even when unplugged!) they can appear to be deformed, bulging out at the ends, etc.
- Generally its only electrolytic capacitors that need replacing, the most critical being the ones serving as filters in the power supply.
- If the amp has seen moderate regular use over time the caps may last longer - if its been gigged regularly or been sitting for long periods probably needs service sooner - kind of like a car.
- 10 years for filter caps seems to be common wisdom - if there is such a thing. Capacitors may last 30 years - what u are doing in replacing them every 10 years is avoiding the potential of catastrophic failure.
- If an old electrolytic shorts, you hope the fuse goes before the PT winding...chance you take. If they internally leak current, they will pull more current through the PT making it run warmer and will likely lose some of their filtering capability causing the amp to hum in varying degrees. If they open, the amp will hum badly.
- it's the filter capacitors in the power supply that go bad generally, and the ones that can do some additional damage. Electrolytics officially have a shelf life of around a decade. However, they last longer if installed and charged/discharged regularly. A lot of people will replace them at 20 years, just as a precaution. It's not going to hurt anything and not terribly expensive.
- Listen at a fairly loud volume, and if you hear buzzing, hiss, crackling, pops, distortion, fuzz, or anything that sounds off, don't buy it
- Listen out for any unexpected noises when you work the volume, tone and balance controls, as well as any switches.
- Reject those with scratchy sound or crackles that indicate dirty or worn controls.
- Listen for hiss and background noise from amplifiers and pre-amplifiers with the volume set very high and no program playing. Do this with the controls set on "phono" and then on a "line" input. Put your ear right next to the loudspeaker. If all you hear at maximum volume is silence or a slight rushing noise, they pass the test. (Phono will always be noisier than a line input.)
- With music playing, rotate the tone and volume controls to insure that they track correctly, with no dropouts or sudden volume changes that might indicate worn potentiometers.
- open the case and visually check the parts inside for leaky capacitors, burned resistors, cold or corroded solder joints and chassis rust.
- A well-cared for transistor amp of good design and built with good parts should last and last and last. Of all electronic components, an amplifier is the only one I'd consider buying used.
- The only thing that wears out are the electrolytic caps in the power supply. They dry out over time. Their lifetime shortens exponentially with temperature so the higher temp you operate your amp at the sooner they will die.
Good luck!
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thanx flying997. You've answered my original question fully. I now feel that I have a more comprehensive knowledge of what to look for or listen for when deciding to buy older electronics.
Not that the other inputs aren't appreciated.
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What's a Magnepan 7.1? No such model.
Most Maggies will work better with more power. IMHO, at least 200 watts or something with very high current capability.
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Are there any reliable high end repair shops in your area? Why not ask a tech if they have reconditioned amps that fit your needs. Boomers are dropping like flies if you haven’t noticed and their survivors are disposing of their antique stereos all over the country. You want something vintage? Look for an Ampzilla or Dynaco 416 and get it restored. Otherwise you can get a brand new NAD C399 with 180/Chan of N-Core power for 2 grand with 3 years warranty.
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What do you mean by caps? I am sure I am not the only one who doesn't know what the term Caps means.
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Maybe OP means Magnepan 1.7? What amplifier are you currently using? Many good 200 watt/channel amps are available. Mark Levinsons are great amplifiers but overpriced for your budget. How about more info on your listening preferences and room size.
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OMG! I actually maid a mistake! Damn! It is 1.7's I guess I had them backwards?
ANALOGUE;
Lyre Delos, Dynavector Mk II (Needs replacing), Grado Statement, MCX (for old scrachy lp's I buy at second hand store). Grado signature tonearm, SOTA star sapphire (cocobolo, lovely to look at I need to get out more often, ) PS audio phono converter, AR sp-9 mkiii,
DIGITAL;
OPPO UDP-205,
Mark Levinson ml-2
LISTENING PREFERENCES;
progressive rock / pop / punk / electronic / jazz fusion / classical.
ROOM SIZE; 15FT wide by 10ft long by 8ft high. never as loud as i'd like!
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I think we all assumed 1.7 , but just want to make sure you realize current model is 1.7i ...i also assumed we all assumed caps are capacitors, don't think it could be anything else in this context...
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The OP listed the model as a 7.1. That could have been a 7.1 HOME THEATER system with several different models of Maggies OR the .7 model OR the 1.7 OR 1.7i model, so it wasn't really all that cut and dried.
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@joes44,
This is a nice amp to drive the Magnapans 1.7 speakers for $750.00.
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I've read some good things about the Khartago.
If Alon Wolf of Magico likes and uses Odyssey Audio amps, that’s saying a lot of it’s performance aka excellent price/performance. As others mentioned, recapping is out of your budget.
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I own the Magnepan .7's and found a used Spectron musical MK lll class D amp. It's a beast and weighs in at 54 lbs. Output is 500 watts@8ohms, 650@4ohms, and 1,200 watts@1ohm 65 amps for 500 milliseconds
All l know is Maggie's love power!! The more the better
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