Power amplifier longevity… thoughts?

Thanks for all the suggestions but I forgot to mention that:

- I live in Europe (230v / 50-60hz)

- my budget is up to €2500 / $2775

Although my main goal is to drive the LRS+, my question is about power amplifiers longevity and the risk of buying a 20+ years piece. From all the answers there is an indicator that most prefer to buy new.

My problem is that my budget doesn’t buy a new amp with the right specs for the LRS+ so I am “forced” to look in the used market.

Totally agree with the need to buy a brand that still exists, although I have some less happy experiences that way, with active companies no longer supporting their past products at all!

Right now, the Hegel H190 integrated and the Ayre V-1x power amp are the less risky propositions, both bought from a dealer, but I would love to have other choices.

Try Schiit!

Schiit Audio +1

Particularly the Vidar (ver. 1) used as mono blocks. I currently run with Maggie 1.7i’s.

+1 onhwy61 

Who stated - "Of the amps you listed the Ayre would generally be considered a higher quality amp than the others."

If you go for an Ayre, they are still in business. I recently had Ayre replace/upgrade the capacitors in my Amp, and they sound great.  

The service is excellent. You could drop-ship your purchase to them, have it bench tested and upgraded before it is installed in your system.

best of luck...

@OP - to answer your specific question - no, "those large caps, the size of a can of beer" do not last longer. The electrolytic PSU reservoir caps are the most common point of failure in older amplifiers. If the amp is knocking around 20 years old, replacing those caps is pretty much essential preventative maintenance. But pretty much any component in an amp can fail over time.