what to do with a stereo that needs repair

Since you already have a replacement amp I’d get the Ayon repaired as you’ll obviously get much more selling a working amp.  Of course that all depends on how much the repair costs, if it’s under warranty, shipping costs, etc.

What country and part of the country are you in? Someone may have a suggestion for a tech.

I would send it in for repair. Then sell it when you get it back… or if you like the sound better than your new amp keep it and sell the other.

I know a guy who can fix it.  Its $$ to ship and I bet you spend about $2K to get work done.  What do you want for it?

Sadly its old and out of warranty, and will probably cost around 1500 to 2000 to repair along with shipping it to an authorized service center.

Very sad. Do you have a boat?

Sell it real cheap as a mono amp, if you can.  Or, Box it, ship it, pay a big bill to repair it, list it, sell it (eventually) and maybe come out a few hundred bucks ahead. Your call.

I have a relative studying electrical engineering in College and one of their courses is amplifiers. He fixed several items for me. They weren’t high end like your item but amplifiers nevertheless, and it was fun for him, he at least knew enough not to make it worse but at the end he fixed it. My point is, it may have a simple issue and it may be easier to find someone to repair than it might seem. If you are stuck with it/couldn’t sell it as it is, the risk is reasonable too.

Have you checked the fuse(s)? Looked at the solder on your input jacks and speaker post connections?

Touch the tubes - carefully. Is there any heat in the small tubes, the power tubes? 

Swap the tubes left to right and vice versa. Is the same channel is still dead?

Unplug the amp, IMPORTANT!
Remove the bottom and see if there are any obvious wiring faults, Look at the speaker and input connectors. Do you any burn spots on the solder points? Charred resistor? caps(s)?

Single-ended class A Tube power amps are not very complicated pieces to repair.
They run very hot so there is a possibility a relatively inexpensive part might have failed from heat.   

You may be able to fix it yourself.

Nice amp get it fixed, Try to find a qualifier local tech

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Invariably you should recover your costs in having the amplifier repaired should you decide to sell upon return , you will achieve a much better price for a working amplifier and it will be easier to find a buyer.

Ask around on AudioKarma or diyaudio. I found a guy who specializes in Sansui to fully restore my AU-717.

PM sent.

@bosendev

Words of wisdom from @stager . Obviously, a voice of experience.

Will be interesting to see if any of the recommended remedies work for you.

You have another amp, so waiting 6 months to get a proper diagnosis and cost estimate is but a speck in time.

Meanwhile, check and see what they are selling for

https://www.hifishark.com/search?q=ayon+spirit

You might get lucky if the tube protection board has tripped. Surely it would have a reset

"The Spirit II is not a simple update, it is a new redesign featuring new circuit boards, tube protection board, add features like Pre Out or Direct Input for pure power amp operation and new pre-driver tube devices."

I agree with suggestion to swap tubes l/r, see if any change.

If the repair isn't too costly, fix it and give it to someone who will appreciate it.  BE WARNED, I did something similar for my son and created a monster.  Cheers.

As stager mentioned amps like this are not that complicated for a decent tube technician to repair.  I’ve worked for a couple high end companies, one of which was a well known for their tube gear.  Unless the output transformer is bad which is very rare and is usually only caused by misuse, it typically is just a resistor or two or bad capacitor.  Can’t imagine more than a couple hours or so of repair  and test time.  Meaning shouldn’t be more than a few hundred bucks to repair it.  Most of which being labor.  If you’ve already swapped the tubes from left to right, checked the fuses, etc and still not working Id get it fixed.  
I never saw what area you are in.  I worked with several companies that did repairs for our company.  Maybe one of us can recommend someone near you as shpg. is the worst part of getting anything repaired now days. 

@ghdprentice 

lol

Ah... just mail it to me... I have a tech who is a genius and will touch anything that makes music.

kidding.... just call Carousel Music in Dothan Alabama and make arrangements to mail it to them... They are reasonable and it shouldn't take long. When you talk to them, don't worry they have probably smoked something but I wasn't kidding about the genius part. Ask about the mailing as I have always taken mine up there.

Did you try:  https://www.usatubeaudio.com/warranty/  in AZ.  I do not have experience with them.  They are a Ayon dealer.  They advertise  a 30 to 90 day turn around unless special parts are required.  Minimum charge $145 per hour. Repair bulled at $145 per hour plus parts.  

theservicedepartmentct.com is an authorized Ayon service center as they advertise. They recapped my Krells.   Excellent quality. 8 months waiting list.   3 weeks turnaround.  

Also try theanaloguestore.com/service-dept/ in NC or benchtech@highendaudiorepair.com in NY   

As other members have stated … nice amp, get it repaired if not too costly, and keep or sell it.  
 

@bosendev 

Sounds like your tech is not the most confident.  If it's out of warranty why would you need an authorized tech anyway? 

I will ask the same question others have - where are you located?  If near Chicago I have a great guy who can fix it up for you.  And again, as others have said, if you don't want to mess with it I'm happy to take it off of your hands and give it a go! 

Where are you? Pro-Tech Services here in Washington, D.C. does great work, They know how to ship these beasts & can advise you.

I've been nothing but pleased all three times I've visited (twice with the same amp - but I dropped it. They didn't even laugh at me).

(240) 450-0308

If it's a unit you really like it's worth repairing. I personally look at equipment that is broken, worn out or out dated as an excuse to upgrade. If your not to attached to your old amp, consider selling. It's not really a big loss if you got enjoyment from it. Allow someone else to fix/upgrade. It might be what they want to start on. Either way best of luck. 

If it's cost effective to repair the Ayon amp then I'd do that. During the repair process you'll have a reasonable amount of time (with no pressure) to make sure that you're happy with your new amp. When the dust settles, sell the amp that you no longer want or need.

@ghdprentice 

“Got a boat?”

😁😁😁