Amp repair cost — is this right?


I recently sent my Musical Fidelity a308cr power amp off to be recapped. This amp is somewhere around 16-18 years old and one of the power caps failed. I contacted Musical Fidelity and sent it to a repair shop they recommended. Today I received an estimate to replace 18 caps, 8 of which are large power caps, resolder the boards, and re-bias the transistors. Basically a full overhaul. The quote I received, including return shipping (prob around $100) Is over $1,300 which possibly exceeds the value of the amp. That doesn’t include the $115 it cost me to ship it out. Having never had an overhaul done on a power amp like this, I’m wondering if anyone with experience can tell me if this sounds right. I guess I was expecting something more like $600-$800 but I don’t know why since I really don’t have a frame of reference. Perhaps it was the assumption it might be 4 hours labor (say $400) plus max $200 for caps. Is $1,300+ on track? Either way I’m going to be out the shipping cost plus a $160 fee paid for the estimate.
jnehma1
I replaced around 45 caps with Nichicons, a few resistors and two bridge rectifiers in my Threshold T-200 for less than 100.00 in parts from Mouser and Digikey.
I am currently in a similar dilemma of spending some money for a tech bench repair, if it is ok for me to talk about myself and my own situation, without offending the op. My as new and tweaked ADA PF 2501 power amp needs a fuse holder repair. One day awhile ago, I was installing an upgraded 10 amp power supply fuse ( yes, I hear improvements with fuses ) from the exterior rear of the amp chassis. As I screwed the new fuse back in, the fuse holder broke off from the circuit board. The amp seems to need a full disassembly to get to this board, beyond what I am capable of doing. It might not be rocket science to a good tech, but in my estimation, will will take several hours of labor. I really find this amp to be a sleeper ( meaning I like it a lot ), but it is not necessarily the best amp I own, so it is just sitting, covered in plastic, in a corner. These amps do not sell for much, and ADA recently closed their doors. So the question to myself is, should I or shouldn’t I, have it repaired. I found a good tech in my area, courtesy of another member here, but still have not decided to even bring it to this tech ( for an estimate ), as I am imagining the cost. Not the money, but the investment in the actual piece. BTW, I spoke about this before on another thread, and mentioned, I never saw another fuse holder mounted to a circuit board, in this manner, as the ADA ( I have 2 other ADA amps, and they are the same layout ). Anyway, that is my story, and I apologize. Enjoy, be well and stay safe. Always, MrD.
@mrdecibel no need to try to stir the pot... You're talking about yourself yes, but at least the topic is related, so have at it. I was pointing out that people were bringing up completely unrelated things like bathroom remodels or completely esoteric discussions about profit
Due to some experience (the hard way) I noticed very high price differences from technician to technician. So $105 - $12,- an hour.
A tech working out of his basement is going to be less expensive but he'll be more than $12.00/hour (unless he's doing it as a labor of love)- that bit is fantasy. But if we are talking about a shop, a shop has overhead like lighting, heat, rent, phones, etc. That is why almost any shop is going to be at least $80.00/hour, otherwise they can't pay the bills (including paying the technicians)!
That's a big number for the work. If at all possible, I would try to get some other estimates. I realize there is a point of diminishing returns because the more you ship it around, the less likely you are to save money elsewhere.