Lifespan of amps and preamps?

Hi OP, 

I myself love vintage and old gear. I have a Scott 340b, laboriously restored last year. Good sound is good sound. I'd say if you are happy and want to keep your system, then do the necessary maintenance and enjoy your system. For another 20 years. 

I used to have a Nad amp bought before I was 20. It worked many years but finally gave up. I now use a Rega Brio and it sounds a bit better. I already had a dac but bought a Raspberry Pi as a streamer. It works great and is a cheap upgrade if you have a dac. You can also buy one with a dac like the Hifiberry. I would start with this before changing anything Else and also start saving for new amps since they may stop working.

Never change a running system... But if you want to get an upgrade, you can also have a deeper look on used (but not vintage) equipment. Many of the high end gems I got over the last years were used but in great shape. Never forget that also loudspeakers are ageing over the years. And that technology advances. I recently tested the new Monitor Audio Gold 200 and it outclassed my Infinity Kappa 7 II Series 2 in almost every way you can imagine despite of being significantly smaller: more resolution, more precision and very clear bass. So visit some dealers with a good portfolio and proper showrooms, discover the 2020 high end world and enjoy!!!

Greetz, Hans

Addendum: I myself am into vintage for a long time. It can get you a lot of listening pleasure, but it can also cost you a lot of money for maintenance and repair. So think twice before buying "golden oldies"...

So long, Hans

I agree. It takes passion to own vintage gear. As an example, a newly produced Scott 340b volume pot off ebay costs around $100.

To OP, if you want to keep your system, you should at least do a recap, which I think is now a must. And as I said, some other maintenance like cleaning, checking values of resistors and other components. By experience though, electrolytics are almost always the critical issue.