Parasound A-23 or Parasound HCA 2200

The dead cap issue is tied to thermal and electrical stressing and some amps are anomalies that only appear over time. EG, I’ve got more than a few 30-40+ year old amps where the main filter caps measure and look fine. that is usually the rule, but when they get that old, new main filter caps are generally a good idea.

When I look at an amplifier, I look at many many photos of it and specifically the ones called ’nudies’, where you see the innards. Those images can provide some info on potentials in longevity but only to a knowledgeable and practiced eye.

The second point of research involves looking for any issue with repairs, if the unit (specific model) has repair issues, if the unit has a history of repeats in a given fault mode. People talk about refurbish or rebuilds and so on. Read the tech talk, even if it is a bit difficult to follow, it can be enlightening.

A check on the Parasound products will find little to no blips, trends, or anomalies in these areas. Always a good sign.

To think that one has to consider Parasound product age as part of an evaluation of a potential purchase....is a point in pride, not a problem. Pride in that the product has been around long enough that such age issues can actually arise.

I bought an HCA 2200 on ebay for $377.  The right channel sounds great.  The left channel, not so much.  That is when the left channel outputs anything at all, which is not the norm.  Removing the cover I see that the small capicators to the sides have leaked.  Both sides.  If I could get the thing up to spec for a couple hundred, I would still feel like I got a pretty good deal.  I don't have a clue as to what that would cost.   The folks in my area that do stereo repair are TV repair places.  I worry about the cost of sending it out as this beast weighs 65 pounds.

Although I like the way right channel sounds, I don't get much volume, which is unexpected with an amp that delivers 385wpc into 4 ohms.  But it could be because I am running my portable DAC (ifi nano with burr/brown - 32/384 async and 256 DSD)  directly to it without a preamp.

So my next question is:  Assuming I can get this thing repaired at a reasonable price, what is a good budget preamp to go with it.  By budget I mean around $300.

One more thing:  I love this site.  Everyone is so knowledgeable and helpful.  Thank you everyone for your comments so far.