Expectations after re cap of power-amp

@jl35 

you are correct, this was my exact answer.

 You should expect a much better presentation and open/airy ness to your sound.

enjoy

Well, couple of things are at play.

Modern electrolytics are usually much better. Longer life, lower inductance, and lower equivalent resistance, means better power supply but..

how much of this, if any translates into sound quality is very much design dependent, so I wouldn’t try to oversell it.

Oh, also, make sure to replace any decoupling caps near the amp boards too, not just the big oil cans next to the transformer, as well as using higher temp caps.  That can increase their lifespan.

I just had a Krell KAV 250 refurbished which I believe was mostly new caps and while it always was a touch tad or pinch ( not sure which) better than its KAV 250/3 partner in my system to my ears after the refur it does sound “fresher and cleaner”
and like the Krell svc mgr and several here have said it should give me another 15+ years of the Krell sound I enjoy.  By the way of the 675 or so cost the vast majority- not a complaint just a observation- is the labor.  I’d do it again without hesitation. 

I will repeat myself because I think sincere gratitude needs to be expressed. All the generous feedback has been very encouraging and because of it I now feel far more confident in my project. All these responses are not a trivial blessing in my case.

If recapping is a fool’s errand why bother? Better to use the money toward newer amps. I needed to know. I may do both but I would like to express that the Yamaha M-2 was well respected back in the day. It is still possible that I may yet invest in some Classe gear after recapping the Yamaha.

I have some Dahlquist DQ10 speakers I spent $2,000 on rebuilding them before I retired them.  I still own them. Even though I seldom use them I’ll argue that I owed them something for their decades of faithful service.

Ever own an old faithful dog? Nothing was too good for my Christopher.

I had my 35 year old Krell KSA-80B refurbished about a year ago.  It was completely recapped as well as other components replaced.  It wounded wonderful when I got it back.  Its in hard service driving Apogee Scintilla One Ohm's--but I expect it to heat my music room for many years to come.  I would definitely do it again.  Had the work done by the factory and was treated very nicely by all.