2. amps-preamps
  3. 128240-22525

Aragon 4004 mk2, should I buy?

My son in law is inheriting my old Magneplanar 1.6 loudspeakers, and recently while visiting a newer acquaintance of mine I discovered he has a Aragon 4004 mk2 amplifier he wants to sell. Thinking that it would be a good amplifier for the Maggies (and my son in law just starting out understandably doesn't have a lot of spare money) I asked him what he would be willing to sell it for, he replied $450. That sounded like a good deal, and he let me take it home to check things out. My son in law is coming over this weekend and we will hook it and the Maggies up to my Oppo BDP-95 and see how things sound.
So my question is does this seem like a good option for my son in law or should we look at something else?
Thanks in advance for any opinions or advice.
Gary

gakman
mgreen27
147 posts
 

You'll probably find the combo harsh in the high frequencies. This would be a better option. You would use 4 channels with this amp, not 2.

 

gakman OP
52 posts
 
I am mostly interested in the long term reliability and the current value of this amplifier, while $450 is cheap enough for an amp of this caliber is it still a reasonably good buy?
Could one reasonably expect long term reliability or is there some age related issue for concern?
Thanks,
Gary
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
I owned an Aragon 4004 mk 2 about 20 years ago or so. I doubt you will find it to sound harsh in the high frequencies.

$450 seems like a pretty good price for that amp. I would hook it up and try it out. The main concern with older amps is the capacitors, as they tend to wear out  and need to be replaced in about 15-40 years, depending mostly on amp design and amp usage. The hotter an amp runs (Class A bias), or the longer an amp may sit dormant, can shorten the life span of the capacitors.

You should be able to tell by listening to it. If you hear any thumps at turn on/off, or a static like discharging sound while playing, then the caps will probably need replaced. Any local  tech should be able to do that for a couple hundred bucks, then you should be good for another couple decades.
If no annoying thumps or crackling sounds, then just relax and enjoy the music. That's a good amp, especially for $450.

Cheers,
John
More to discover